KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Student-athletes from the Amherst, Connecticut College, and Hamilton men's soccer teams were among 43 players selected to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division III Men’s Scholar-All-America Teams.
Conn. College senior Matt Scoffone garnered a spot on the first team while teammate Peter Silvester was named to the Third Team. Amherst’s Ben Clark-Eden and Hamilton’s Pandelis Margaronis were also selected for the third team.
To be named a United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American, a student-athlete must meet the following criteria: 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) (on a 4.0 scale) or better throughout career; start more than 50 percent of all games and significantly contribute to their team; be nominated by a head coach of current United Soccer Coaches College Service member institution; and be a junior or above in academic standing, and if a transfer student, be in second year at school. All selections were made by a committee that reviews both the academic and athletic accomplishments of the nominees.
Scoffone, a repeat selection, landed one of 15 spots on the first team. Scoffone played in 22 games and made 21 starts in his final season, leading the Camels in scoring with 10 goals for 20 points. An economics major with a 3.83 GPA, he becomes the first player in program history to become a two-time All-American both on the pitch and in the classroom.
Silvester was one of two goalies named to the second team and was a first-time honoree.
An economics major with a 3.70 GPA, Silvester started all 24 games in his senior campaign and sported a 14-3-7 record in goal with 10 shutouts. The two-time USC All-Region Second Team selection made 90 saves in his final season and was tabbed Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the NCAA Championship.
Connecticut College concluded a historic season with a 14-3-7 overall record, which included a national runner-up finish and the program's first-ever NESCAC title.
Clark-Eden earns Scholar All-America honors for the second straight season. A film and media studies major at Amherst, Clark-Eden boasts a 3.96 GPA. He played in 18 games, starting 17, and was a key cog in the Mammoths’ defense that allowed one goal or less in 21 of 22 games. Clark-Eden scored two goals and added three assists this season.
An All-NESCAC First Team and United Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-Region selection, he helped Amherst win its second national championship in program history and finish the season with a 16-2-4 record.
Margaronis holds a double major in computer science and mathematics and currently has a 3.65 GPA at Hamilton. A United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection, Margaronis ranked second on the Continentals with 10 points on four goals and two assists in 14 matches. Margaronis scored two goals in the Continentals' 3-2 win over Calvin University in the first round of the NCAA Championship. He finished with eight goals and seven assists in 54 career matches.
Hamilton posted a record of 8-6-4 and the Continentals received an at-large bid to the NCAA championship. Hamilton advanced to the second round where they tied Kenyon, 2-2, but the Owls moved on to the third round after penalty kicks.
