Dynamo Players Reach College Cup

Eleven former Dynamo players will compete in the College Cup this Friday in the first semi-final of the day. This Friday, December 12th at 5:30 Wake Forest and UNC Chapel Hill square off for the chance to compete for a National Championship. This game features ten Dynamo players including; Sam Cronin, Cody Arnoux, Marcus Tracy, Jamie Franks, and Michael Lahoud, all from Wake Forest. Dynamo players competing for UNC Chapel Hill include; Zach Loyd, Chris Lebo, Ryan Adeleye, Kirk Urso, Sheanon Williams, and Eddie Ababio.

Jata, Johnson & Soto Earn All-Conference Honors for Campbell

Richard Jata was selected by league coaches and media relation’s personnel as the A-Sun player of the year after leading the conference in game-winning goals (6). A senior midfielder, Jata has scored in his last seven matches. In the first six of those games, Jata’s goal was the game-winner. The product of Port Richey, Fla., moved into 20th place on Campbell’s all-time scoring list with 62 points (24 goals, 14 assists) in only 55 games. He ranks third in league record books for career winners (11).

In addition to topping the A-Sun this season in game-winning goals, Jata stands third among league leaders in points (19) and 2nd in goals (8). He has earned first-team all-conference honors in each of his three seasons after transferring to CU from Furman.

Aaron Johnson received the league’s top defensive player honor after tying a league mark with nine shutouts and posting the lowest goals-against average (0.83) in the conference this year. The senior from St. Charles, Mo., owns the lowest career goals-against average in school history (1.05) and has played more minutes (6625) than any keeper in CU history. He ranks second on CU charts for keeper matches played (72), started (72), saves (323) and shutouts (21). A three-time A-Sun all-conference and all-tournament choice, Johnson has been named Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive player of the week three times this season (Sept. 15, Oct. 13 and 27) The honors marked the 5th, 6th and 7th times in his career that Johnson has earned league defender of the week recognition. In A-Sun record books, Johnson stands second in career GAA and shutouts, sixth in saves and fifth in starts. On the season, Johnson has tied the school and A-Sun record with nine shutouts and owns the league’s best goals-against average (0.83) and save percentage (.808). He ranks 38th in the nation in GAA and 45th in save percentage.

Josue Soto was named to the 1st Team All-Conference squad. The 2007 A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Soto ranks second in the A-Sun in assists (7) and eighth in scoring with 15 points (4 goals, 7 assists) while playing 16 games (14 starts) in 2008. He has totaled 37 points on 12 goals and 13 assists in 38 career matches.

A sophomore from Monterrey, Mexico, Soto set up the game-winner at High Point and dealt the first assists hat trick by a CU player in a dozen years with three assists in 4-3 win over Lipscomb. He scored the game-winning goal vs. Georgia Southern and tallied the game-tying strike in 2-1 win at Jacksonville.

Dynamo Players Earn All-Southern Conference Honors

Jokull Elisbetarson (UNC Greensboro), Steve Kinney and Erfan Imeni (Both Elon University) were recently named to the 1st team All-Southern Conference. EJ O’Keeffe (UNC Greensboro), Clint Collins and Clint Irwin (Both Elon University) were all named to the 2nd Team.

Elisabetarson, a senior from Reykjavik, Iceland, earned his second straight all-conference honor. He started all 18 matches and had seven points on two goals and three assists.

Imeni earned his first all-league honor following a junior season in which he scored four goals and assisted on another three for 11 total points. Imeni also finished the year with three game-winning tallies.

Kinney was also a First Team All-SoCon honoree following the 2007 season. This year, he helped to anchor an Elon defensive unit that has recorded six shutouts. He scored one goal this season and has assisted on two others.

Da Silva Named to the All Atlantic Sun Conference 1st team

Miguel Da Silva (Lipscomb University) a sophomore forward from Lauderhill, FL was recently name to the All Atlantic Sun Conference 1st team. DaSilva owns the distinction as the only unanimous player on the First-team from Lipscomb after leading the conference in assists, 10, points, 26 and shots, 58.

Three members of the Carolina Dynamo were recently selected as semifinalist for the 2008 Missouri Athletic Club Herman Trophy. Cody Arnoux, Sam Cronin, and Marcus Tracy are among the 15 semifinalists for the top individual award in college soccer.

Arnoux, a junior forward from Wilmington, N.C., leads Wake Forest with 15 goals and 35 points on the season. An All-ACC First Team member, Arnoux has scored 14 goals in the last 14 matches for Wake Forest. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the Deacs’ 1-0 overtime win over William & Mary in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
A senior midfielder from Winston-Salem, Cronin has played and started every game in his Wake Forest career, a career that now spans 95 games. He is the all-time leader in career games played and started at Wake Forest. Cronin, who was named to the All-ACC First Team, has scored eight goals and chipped in four assists on the season. Cronin is also one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.
Tracy, a senior forward from Newtown, Conn., is second on the team with 12 goals and 32 points on the season. Tracy opened the season strong, finding the back of the net in each of the first six games of the season. A 2008 All-ACC First Team member, Tracy was named to Top Drawer Soccer’s First Team of the Year, Top Drawer Soccer’s version of the All-American team.
The 15 semifinalists will be narrowed down to three finalists by a vote of college coaches. The three finalists will be announced on Friday, December 12, with the winner of the award being announced on Friday, January 9, 2009, at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis.

Five players from the Carolina Dynamo 2008 squad recently were selected as All-Acc performers. Cody Arnoux, Sam Cronin and Marcus Tracy all from Wake Forest were selected to the All-ACC first team, while Michael Lahoud (Wake Forest) was selected to the 2nd team, and Sheanon Williams (UNC-CH) was named to the 3rd team.