Hartsville, S.C. – Four members of the Coker College men’s soccer team received All-Conference honors on Thursday from Conference Carolinas. Senior Marc Mergena (Port-au-Prince, Haiti) and freshman Eric Stiefield (Eustis, Fla.) were each named Second Team All-Conference, while junior Daniel Shrizad (Orlando, Fla.) and freshman James Sweeney (Huntingtown, Md.) were each named Third Team All-Conference.
Conference Carolinas All-Conference selections are announced during the weeks of the Conference Carolinas Soccer Championships. Head Coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote upon the award winners who represent the best of the best for the conference.
Mergena anchored a Cobra defense that has allowed just 19 goals all season, while leading Coker to its best season in the school’s NCAA history (11-5-2). Stiefield is Coker’s point leader with 15 total points on the year, including seven goals and an assist. Along with Shrizad, Stiefield has provided a much needed offensive catalyst to the Cobra offense.
Shrizad has tallied 14 points on the year for the Cobras, with all 14 coming off of seven goals, while Sweeney has been a wall in goal for Coker, making 44 saves in more than 1500 minutes of play with a 0.92 goals against average. Sweeney has earned himself an 11-4-2 record in the goal, including seven shutouts.
The #5 seed Cobras return to the field on Friday, when they travel to Banner Elk, N.C. to face the top-seeded Lees-McRae Bobcats in the Semifinals of the Conference Carolinas Men’s Soccer Championships. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with live video and live stats available at www.lmcbobcats.com.
Men’s All-Conference 1st-Team
Berin Boracic, Lees-McRae – Forward
Emmanual Yamson, Belmont Abbey – Forward
Paulo Passini, Anderson – Forward
Alistair Benson, Limestone – Forward
Lasse Sohrweide, Anderson – Midfielder
Kash Knight, Pfeiffer – Midfielder
Renato Barbosa, Pfeiffer – Midfielder
Dale Parker, Lees-McRae – Defender
Luke Duffy, Lees-McRae - Defender
Dominic Casciato, Limestone – Defender
Sean Paradise, Lees-McRae - Goalkeeper
Men’s All-Conference 2nd-Team
Richard Guffens, Lees-McRae – Forward
Alex Landim, Pfeiffer – Forward
Eric Stiefield, Coker – Forward
David Palmer, Lees-McRae – Midfielder
Keegan Ziada, Limestone – Midfielder
Lee Smyth, Limestone – Midfielder
James Moseley, Anderson – Defender
Marc Mergena, Coker – Defender
Jack Reid, Belmont Abbey – Defender
Wilver Menacho, Pfeiffer – Defender
Alex Moreno, Pfeiffer - Goalkeeper
Men’s All-Conference 3rd-Team
Daniel Shrizad, Coker – Forward
Junior Ellis, Limestone – Forward
Daniel Montero, St. Andrews – Forward
Luke Perry, Lees-McRae – Midfielder
Jack Kimber, Erskine – Midfielder
Nick Brindley, Pfeiffer – Midfielder
Jamie Bladen, Lees-McRae – Midfielder
Rayon Markland, Anderson – Defender
James Burke, Limestone – Defender
Luke Vernon, Pfeiffer – Defender
James Sweeney, Coker - Goalkeeper
Freshman of the Year
Luke Perry, Lees-McRae
Player of the Year
Berin Boracic, Lees-McRae
Coach of the Year
Chris Whalley, Lees-McRae
Regular Season Champions
Lees-McRae