HARTSVILLE, S.C. – Coker College men's soccer players Niko Tirkkonen, Fernando Bedoya, Carlos Recinos and James Sweeney have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America 2012 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer All-Southeast Region Team. Bedoya, Recinos and Sweeney cracked the team for the second straight year.
Tirkkonen, a senior from Hollola, Finland, was named to the first team as a forward. Tirkkonen played in all 17 matches, scoring a team-high nine goals with two assists. He was a first team all-region selection by Daktronics, the 2012 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and made first team all-conference. Tirkkonen was second in the conference in goals, third in points and second in game-winning goals with five.
Tirkkonen is a business major at Coker. He is the son of Jari and Merja Tirkkonen.
Bedoya, sophomore from Miami, Fla., was named to the first team for the second consecutive season as a defender. He anchored the Cobras' defensive line before injury caused him to miss the final four games of the year. He had one assist for the season.
Bedoya is a physical education and sport studies major with a concentration in sport management at Coker.
A senior from Houston, Texas, Recinos is also a back-to-back NSCAA first-team honoree. He made this year's team as a midfielder after being named as a forward in 2011. Recinos scored four goals and tallied seven assists on the season.
Recinos is a physical education and sport studies major with a concentration in sport management at Coker. He is the son of Carlos and Yolanda Recinos.
Sweeney, a senior from Huntingtown, Md., cracked the second team after another stellar season in goal. He led Coker to a 12-4-1 record this season and allowed just 13 goals all season. Sweeney posted seven shutouts, tallying 54 saves, and finished with a 0.81 goals against average. He was also a Conference Carolinas all-conference first team selection.
Sweeney is a mathematics major at Coker. He is the son of Franklin and Christine Sweeney.
For the complete list of the 2012 NSCAA NCAA All-Southeast Region teams, click here.
For more information, contact Chris Dougherty, manager of athletics media relations, at 843-383-8018 or cdougherty@coker.edu.
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Coker College readies undergraduates for personal and professional success through a distinctive four-year program that emphasizes a practical application of the liberal arts as well as hands-on and discussion-based learning within and beyond the classroom. Coker is ranked among the "Best Colleges" in the South by U.S. News & World Report as well as The Princeton Review. Located in Hartsville, S.C., Coker is within two hours of the cultural, financial and recreational resources of Charlotte, Columbia, Charleston and Myrtle Beach.