Kansas City – Gustavus Adolphus College men’s soccer players David Lilly (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) and Zach Brown (Sr., Eau Claire, Wis.) have been named to the 2014 NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division III Men’s All-North Region Team.
After earning a place on the All-Region third team as a sophomore and junior, David Lilly’s exceptional senior season continues with first team accolades as one of three midfielders. A three-time all-conference performer who became the program’s sixth MIAC Player-of-the-Year this past November, Lilly finished third on the team in overall scoring with 17 points off three goals and a team-best 11 assists. The senior hit the scoresheet in five of the team’s last seven games and was the star in Gustavus’s NCAA Tournament first round victory over Dominican University. With the match still scoreless in the late stages of the second half, Lilly buried the game-winning goal from Zach Brown to propel Gustavus to a 1-0 victory.
“Dave is the consummate midfield player, often dictating the play like a conductor baton controls an orchestra,” said Head Coach Mike Middleton. “He was the heartbeat of the team alongside his compadre Charlie Adams. I will miss seeing those two in tandem; they were the Xavi and Iniesta of the region and wonderful to see in action. He has been absolute joy to work with and he strode through games on a different level to most players, dictating the play, setting up chances and having seemingly so much time and grace to play.”
Also a staple of the All-Region team, Zach Brown garners first team distinction for the season consecutive year after being a third team recipient as a sophomore. An NSCAA All-American and the MIAC’s Player-of-the-Year last season, Brown led the team in scoring for the fourth straight year after notching 29 points off 11 goals and seven assists. The three-time all-conference honoree also struck a league-best seven game winners – one of which helped Gustavus to a 1-0 win over Carleton in the semifinal round of the MIAC Playoffs. To go along with 20 career game-winners, Brown goes down as one of the most lethal scorers in the history of Gustavus men’s soccer, ranking third all-time in both goals (47) and points (112).
“Great to see Zach on the all-Region team once again,” Middleton said. “He had a terrific year terrorizing opposing defenses throughout the region and beyond. His pace, power and finishing ability has been an integral part of our play for the last four years. Every team has to look out for him, and I’m sure a lot of the chatter in the opposition locker rooms before games was centered around containing him. That was kind of fun for all of us!”
A total of six players from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference were placed on this year’s NSCAA North All-Region Team. Along with Lilly and Brown, Carleton’s Brenden McGarrity and St. Olaf’s Jens Undlin earned second team honors, while Macalester’s Cole Erickson and Saint John’s Alex Niederloh took home third team distinction.
Founded in 1941 and based in Kansas City, Kan., the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) is a non-profit organization with a mission to educate coaches, encourage excellence and serve the soccer community.
The NSCAA is the world’s largest soccer coaches’ organization with members at every level of the game. The membership is primarily made up of coaches, but also includes administrators, referees and others in the soccer industry. The NSCAA provides its members ways to enhance the game of soccer by providing a national education program, interaction and networking opportunities, and membership benefits.
For more information about the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, visit the NSCAA website.