Two Men's Soccer Standouts Earn Preseason Honors

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Aug. 20, 1998

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s soccer team placed two players on the Soccer America 1998 preseason All-America team. Senior defender Matt Chulis (Central Islip, N.Y.) is a first team selection, while sophomore forward Chris Albright (Philadelphia, Pa.) has been named to the second team. Virginia, Indiana, Portland and UCLA were the only schools with more than one player named to the squads.

Chulis, a finalist for the 1998 Hermann Trophy, has been an All-America selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America each of the last two seasons. He started 25 games for Virginia last year and played 2,267 minutes, the second highest total on the squad. The Cavaliers’ starting sweeper throughout his career, he led the squad to a team goals against average of 0.87 and eight shutouts in 1997. Chulis, who has also contributed to the Virginia offense with two goals and six assists during his first three years, was a first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in both 1996 and 1997.

Albright was the Cavaliers’ third leading scorer last year with 11 goals and seven assists for 29 points. He became the first UVa freshman to score double-figure goals in a season since 1991, when A.J. Wood totaled 13 goals. Albright, who had four goals and two assists during the 1997 postseason, was named to the All-ACC Tournament team and the Soccer America National All-Freshman team. He also scored four goals and one assist in three games for the U.S. under-20 national team, as it placed first in CONCACAF qualifying for the World Youth Championship earlier this month.

The Cavaliers return seven starters from the 1997 squad which posted an overall record of 19-4-3, won the ACC title and finished as the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament.

The Soccer America 1998 preseason All-America teams follows:

First Team                                Second TeamPlayer              School         Pos.   Player            School             Pos.Adin Brown          William & Mary   G    Matt Nyman        Dartmouth           GCarlos Bocanegra    UCLA             D    Steve Cherundolo  Portland            DMatt Chulis         Virginia         D    Kevin Kalish      Saint Louis         DNick Garcia         Indiana          D    Tony Soto         Southern Methodist  DLazo Alavanja       Indiana          M    Jay Heaps         Duke                MChris Brown         Portland         M    Wojtek Krakowiak  Clemson             MStefani Miglioranzi St. John's       M    Maurizio Rocha    Connecticut         MSasha Victorine     UCLA             M    Pete Vagenas      UCLA                MSiggi Eyjolfsson    UNC Greensboro   F    Chris Albright    Virginia            FSeth George         UCLA             F    Aleksey Korol     Indiana             FDema Kovalenko      Indiana          F    Heikki Ritvanen   Central Florida     F