Kansas City – The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its 2012 NCAA Division III All-Region teams on Wednesday, Dec. 5. This season, four Gustavus Adolphus men’s soccer players earned a place on the All-North Region team. Senior defender Lucas Thompson (Sioux Falls, S.D.) and sophomore goalkeeper Brett Ylonen (Lake Elmo, Minn.) garnered first team distinction, while sophomore forward Zach Brown (Eau Claire, Wis.) and sophomore midfielder David Lilly (Maple Grove, Minn.)received third team honors.
Senior Lucas Thompson, who was recently named to the NSCAA Division III All-America team, makes his third consecutive showing on the All-North Region team. Thompson is a three-time All-Conference performer who earned second team All-Region marks last season. He is one of three defenders on the first team, joining fellow MIAC backliners Neil Bartholomay of Carleton and Chad Gilmer of Augsburg. Starting in all 21 games and tallying over 1,500 minutes on the pitch, Thompson finished the year with one point on an assist. His defensive unit allowed just 11 goals on the year for a goals against average of 0.54, which ranked ninth in NCAA Division III.
After being one of just two freshman to earn All-Region accolades last year, sophomore keeper Brett Ylonen upped the ante this season by taking home first team recognition. Simply put, Ylonen was sensational down the backstretch of Gustavus’ 2012 season. After allowing three goals to Carleton on Sept. 29, the Lake Elmo product did not let in a goal for 888:14 consecutive regulation and overtime minutes. A 2012 All-Conference performer, Ylonen’s save percentage of .896 ranked fourth in NCAA Division III while his goals against average of 0.43 ranked sixth. He also led the league in both save percentage and goals against, finishing the year 14-2-3 after registering over 1,700 minutes between the posts.
For the second straight season, sophomore striker Zach Brown proved to be a threat to score at any given moment of the match. Brown joins Lilly on the third team after recording a team-best 31 points off of 14 goals and three assists. Brown finished the year ranked fourth in the league in scoring and third in goals. Playing in a total of over 1,200 minutes in all 20 contests, the Eau Claire native netted a league-best eight game-winning goals, five of which came against MIAC opponents. His point total ranked him 62nd in the country, while his 14 total goals ranked 35th. Brown concluded the year with 37 shots on goal (3rd/MIAC) and a shots on goal percentage of .474.
Gustavus’ midfield commander David Lilly earns a well-deserved spot on the third team after quarterbacking the club’s possession offense throughout the season. With over 1,400 minutes under his belt, Lilly started in all 20 games and finished third on the team in scoring with 11 points off a goal and a team-high nine assists. His nine assists ranked third in the league and 33rd in the country. David’s lone goal of the season was the game-winner that allowed the Gusties a critical regional win against North Park on Sept. 7. The All-MIAC sophmore also assisted on five game-winning goals this year.