Albuquerque, N.M. – Even though the Lobo men’s soccer team ended its season more than a month ago, awards and accolades continue to roll in after a record-breaking season. The Lobos finished with a school-record 18-4-0 mark and swept through the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation tournament to advance to the NCAA tournament for the second season in a row. Freshman forward Ben Ashwill led the MPSF with 12 goals and was the tournament MVP. He has already been named 1st-team MPSF and 2nd-team Freshman All-American by CollegeSoccerNews.com and now he has earned a spot on Soccer America’s Freshman All-American Team.
Soccer America’s Freshman All-American team consists of 11 of the top freshmen in the country. Ashwill is one of three forwards and the only representative from the MPSF to make the team.
Other members of the Soccer America Freshman All-American team include:
Ben Ashwill, New Mexico (F)Finished as the top scorer in the MPSF (12 goals) to lead the Lobos to a school-record 18 victories and second straight NCAA Tournament berth.
Mehdi Ballouchy, Creighton (M)Moroccan by way of Henry Gunn High in Palo Alto, Calif., scored five goals and added four assists for the NCAA Division I semifinalists.
Jeff Curtin, Georgetown (D)Was named Big East’s top rookie five years after brother Jim, now with MLS’s Chicago Fire, won the award at Villanova.
Leandro De Oliveira, Connecticut (M)With three goals and seven assists, the Brazilian, who attended high School in Allen, Texas, was a key setup man for the Huskies.
Chad Marshall, Stanford (D)Returned after missing two weeks with the U.S. U-20s to score back-to-back golden goals on headers against Furman and Creighton and lead the Cardinal to the NCAA Division I final.
Justin Moose, Wake Forest (F)Tied for team lead with eight assists on the Deacons, No. 1 for much of the regular season. Also scored goals in his first two games.
Justin Moore, Clemson (D)Brother of former MLS No. 1 draft pick Jason Moore played a key role on the backline for the Tigers, who reached the quarterfinals.
Darryl Roberts, Liberty (F)Set Liberty single-season record with 17 goals and seven assists to lead all NCAA Division I freshman with 41 points in 21 games.
Alejandro Salazar, Portland (F)Scored eight goals to become the third Pilot in the last four years to be named the WCC’s top freshman, after Conor Casey and Nate Jaqua.
Ford Williams, North Carolina (G)Finished with a 0.90 goals-against average and five shutouts. Had a record of 11-6-1 in 18 games for the Tar Heels.
Joe Zaher, Oregon State (M)Zaher, who scored 10 goals to help the Beavers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time, was killed in a car accident Dec. 1 in his native Las Vegas.
Ashwill and the rest of the Lobos are training for a short spring season of exhibition games in March and April. The Lobos open the 2003 season at Wisconsin on August 30.