RICHMOND, Virginia – Led by three First-Team selections, seven UNCW student-athletes have been named to the All-Colonial Athletic Association Men's Soccer Teams in voting by the league's nine head coaches.
Senior midfielder
Jacob Evans, sophomore midfielder
Colton Pleasants and sophomore defender
Jaden Strumeier earned spots on the league's top team, while sophomore goalkeeper
Gabriel Perrotta received Second-Team distinction for the second year in a row.
A pair of student-athletes – junior midfielder
Athit Berg and senior defender
Michael Hornsby – were named Third-Team All-CAA, while redshirt freshman midfielder
Jeffrey Masser claimed a spot on the CAA's All-Rookie Team.
The Seahawks, 5-2-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the CAA, begin pursuit of the program's second league title on Thursday, Apr. 15, with a 4 p.m. semifinal contest against Hofstra at Drexel University's Vidas Field.
"I am pleased to see so many of our players recognized for their efforts this spring season," said Coach
Aidan Heaney. "Congratulations to these players who caught the eye of the other conference coaches.
"We have had some very strong team performances on this journey and I know the guys recognized share the plaudits with the entire squad which has worked so hard under difficult conditions this year. The team has had to overcome a lot of challenges and I am excited for them that they have given themselves a chance to compete for another CAA championship."
Evans, who hails from Chester, Cheshire, England, started eight games during his second season with the Seahawks. He scored a goal in UNCW's 2-0 victory over Campbell and recorded an assist in the Seahawks' 1-0 victory over William & Mary on Mar. 27.
A two-year starter for the Seahawks, Evans has scored three goals with five assists, while starting 19-of-23 contests.
After earning All-Rookie Team distinction in 2019, Pleasants moved up to the league's First Team after scoring two goals while starting eight of nine games. The Raleigh, N.C., product helped the Seahawks earn a 2-0 victory in the season opener against UNCG with a goal in the 84th minute before netting the eventual game-winner in a 2-0 shutout of Campbell on Mar. 3.
Pleasants, who has started 23-of-28 contests in two seasons, has posted four goals with an assist.
Strumeier, from Morganville, N.J., started eight games in his sophomore campaign and was a key part of a UNCW defensive unit that allowed just six goals in nine contests. He scored the first goal of his college career against Coastal Carolina on Apr. 3.
The Seahawks' starting goalkeeper in all nine games, Perrotta earned a spot on the All-CAA Second Team for the second straight year after fashioning a 0.64 goals against average and .800 save percentage. The Asuncion, Paraguay, native also recorded a CAA-best six shutouts in nine starts.
Perrotta earned CAA Defensive Player of the Week honors on Mar. 1, after leading UNCW to a scoreless draw at Duke with a season-high five saves. He also tallied four saves in a 2-0 victory against Elon on Mar. 13, and posted three-save efforts in three other games.
In two seasons as the Seahawks' starting netminder, Perrotta has registered a 17-5-4 record with a 0.69 goals against average, which ranks eighth among all active NCAA Division I players. He has also recorded 14 shutouts, which are good for sixth on the Seahawks' career list.
Berg earned All-CAA honors for the first time in his career after starting seven of eight games for the Seahawks. The St. John's transfer netted the first goal of his college career with a penalty kick in the 17th minute in the Seahawks' 3-2 victory over Charlotte.
In two seasons at UNCW, the Baerum, Norway, product has started 21-of-26 games with one goal and one assist to his credit.
Hornsby, who joined the Seahawks after three years at Queens University of Charlotte, has started all nine games on the Seahawks' back line, which is tied for second in the CAA with just six goals allowed. He earned an assist in the Seahawks' 2-0 victory over Elon on Mar. 13, and has played every minute in four games this year.
A native of Tampa, Fla., Masser has appeared in seven games as a redshirt freshman and made the first start of his college career against William & Mary on Mar. 27, playing a season-high 46 minutes. He also played 33 minutes at Duke on Feb. 26, and saw action in 31 minutes against UNCG in the season opener.
