Gustavo Palmieri's All-SAC first team selection on defense highlights the Cobras regular season award winners. The quartet of Celestin Blondel, Nikola Sotra, Matty Tricker and Jasper Rump were named to the second team, while Frederic Benedix and Che Richards were awarded third team honors.
Palmieri's first team selection adds to a long list of accolades this season for the Sao Paulo, Brazil native. After being named to the second team in the preseason, the senior tallied three goals and a team-high four assists, while assisting a backline that allowed just .81 goals per game on average, which ranked second within the SAC. He was twice named South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the first coming on Oct. 4, where he netted the game-winning goal in a 1-0 shutout win over Catawba. The second honor came on Oct. 18, after scoring one goal and dishing out two assists during a 1-0-1 week against Lenoir-Rhyne and Limestone. This is his second time being named to the regular season All-SAC Team, earning third-team honors last season.
Blondel earned second-team All-SAC honors at the midfield position for the Cobras. The freshman accounted for nine points thanks to four goals and one assist, highlighted by a game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Tusculum. His four goals were tied for a team-high this season.
Sotra's second team honor also came at the midfield position. During his first season with the Navy and Yellow, the sophomore appeared in 15 matches, earning 14 starts. He tallied 10 total shots, two of which were on goal.
Tricker earns his first regular season All-SAC distinction, after being named to the All-SAC team in the preseason. The Ipswich Suffolk, England native was named second team on the defensive side for Coker, spearheading the backline efforts during all 17 matches this season for the Cobras. His lone goal during the 2022 campaign came in a 1-1 draw at Mars Hill.
Rump also earned his first regular season All-SAC honor, after being named to the conference's preseason team. The sophomore was the anchor for the Cobras defensively, logging over 1500 minutes in goal and talling five shutouts during the regular season. The Buxtehude, Germany native ranked second in the SAC in goals against average (0.84), total goals against (14) and save percentage (.806), while racking up 58 saves. He was also named SAC Defensive Player of the Week on Aug. 30, thanks to a five-save effort in a 1-1 draw over No. 3 Nova Southeastern.
Benedix's third-team honor comes at the forward position after tallying nine points during his inaugural season for the Cobras. His four goals were tied for a team-high, to go along with dishing out one assist. The Riesa, Germany native's season was highlighted by a 3-match goal streak, where Coker went 2-0-1 against Limestone, Lincoln Memorial and Emory & Henry.
Like his fellow striker, Richards also earned third-team honors at the forward position, leading the Cobras with 11 points on the season. The senior tallied a team-high four goals, to go along with handing out three assists. His top performance came in an 8-0 win over Emory & Henry, where the Trinidad and Tobago native scored three goals and dished out one assist.
"I am super proud of this group," said head coach Michael Antoniewicz. "We had a really good regular season and it is great to see these individuals get recognized for the part they played. This is the most All-Conference awards we have had in a really long time and I am very thankful for these players and the commitment they have for this program. To get All-Conference awards in a league of this level is a big achievement and they should all be very proud of themselves"