Four Locals Amongst Preseason Best

UConn's White Headlines Preseason All-Americans

August 28, 2008

Four of the 11 players on Soccer America’s Preseason All-American Team hail from New England schools, including 2007 Player of the Year O’Brian White of UConn.

Joining White on the publication’s preseason team were Boston College midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, Harvard striker Andre Akpan and UMass goalkeeper Zack Simmons.

UMass 'keeper Zack Simmons. (Photo source: UMass Athletics)

White, the third UConn player to receive the Hermann Trophy as the nation’s best men’s soccer player, led all NCAA Division I men's scorers in points with 53 and goals with 23, including six in postseason play. He also notched seven assists on the season. White was selected as the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year and was also a unanimous choice on the all-conference first team after earning conference Player of the Week honors five times this season.

Bedoya registered 26 points – eight goals and 10 assists – in 21 games for the Eagles in 2007. Bedoya was one of 15 semifinalists for the Hermann Trophy, also earned Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and All-Conference first-team recognition in 2007.

Akpan, who was second in the country with 37 points (14 goals, 9 assists) a year ago, was one of three unanimous first team All-Ivy choices, was a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy and was a finalist for the Umbro/Soccer News Net Player of the Year Award. The forward received second team All-America accolades from the NSCAA and College Soccer News and was a NSCAA All-Northeast Region first team member.

Simmons had a break-out year in goal for the Minutemen in 2007 and gained national attention during the dramatic NCAA Tournament run. He is already one of the top goalkeepers in program history and will have a chance to improve upon those totals. Entering the season, Simmons holds UMass records for career shutouts (23), wins as a goalie (32), and season goals against average (0.79). Last season, he ranked 12th nationally in save percentage and 31st in goals against average. For his career, Simmons has started in all 63 contests he has played in posting a 1.02 goals-against-average with a .821 save percentage.

Soccer America’s Second Team included two more locals, defender Rhett Bernstein of Brown and forward Michael Fucito of Harvard.

For the complete Soccer America Preseason All-American Teams, click here.