Two Garnet Men Named All-Region
SWARTHMORE, Pa. -- Swarthmore seniors Patrick Christmas and Ryan Sutcliffe have been named to the 2007 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All Mid-Atlantic Region team. Christmas was named to the second team while Sutcliffe was selected third-team.
Christmas (pictured above right), a midfielder, started 19 games this season and accumulated career-highs in points (eight), assists (four) and goals (two). The three-year captain receives his second All-Region selection (he was second-team in 2006) after recently becoming the first Garnet men’s soccer player to be selected All-Centennial three consecutive seasons (first-team nods in 2007 and 2006, honorable mention in 2005).
Both of Christmas’ goals in 2007 were game-winners, including the deciding score in a 1-0 win against Westminster on Nov. 10 that vaulted the Garnet into the Division III E.C.A.C. Southern Region Championship match. Christmas was also named to the 2007 Fall All-Centennial Conference Sportsmanship Team.
Sutcliffe, a goalkeeper, made 17 starts while posting a record of 12-3-3 in 2007. He ranked in the top-five in the Centennial Conference for both shutouts (seven) and goals-against average (0.79). He picked up various accolades during the season, including being named Centennial Defensive Player of the Week and Division III E.C.A.C. South Region Defensive Player of the Week on two separate occasions, as well as appearing on the D3Kicks.com Team of the Week.
Sutcliffe, a psychology major, excels off the field as well. He was named to the Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area team, ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II third team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and placed on the Centennial Academic Honor Roll for a second straight year.
Four Swarthmore men’s soccer players (five total selections) have earned All-Region status in the past three seasons—defenders Alex Elkins ’05 and Brendan Grady ’06 have also been honored.
The two seniors are a central part in the resurgence of Swarthmore soccer, capped by a 14-3-3 record this season (the best winning percentage since 1960) and the program’s first Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Southern Region Men's Soccer Championship.. The 2007 Garnet senior class accounted for 50 wins, three Centennial playoff berths and four ECAC appearances.