Five Virginia Men's Soccer Players Earn All-ACC Honors, Kyle Martino Named ACC Player of the Year and George Gelnovatch Named ACC Coach of the Year

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Nov. 14, 2001

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s soccer team had five players named to the 2001 All-Atlantic Coast Conference team (four first team selections, one second team nominee) and watched Kyle Martino (Westport, Conn./Staples) and head coach George Gelnovatch walk away with ACC Player of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year honors, respectively. Martino was also named a First Team All-ACC choice and was joined by teammates Alecko Eskandarian (Montvale, N.J./Bergen Catholic), Ryan Gibbs (West Chester, Pa./East) and Jonathan Cole (Annapolis, Md./McDonogh). UVa’s Matt Oliver (Waldorf, Md./DeMatha Catholic) was named a Second Team All-ACC selection.

Martino, a third-year midfielder, is a two-time First Team All-ACC and All-ACC Tournament selection after gathering the honors in both 1999 and 2000. He was named a Second Team All-American by Soccer America and was selected to the 2000 NSCAA adidas First Team All-South Atlantic Region team in 2000. Martino was also named the 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year. For the season, Martino has started all 15 games he has appeared in and has recorded 18 points (third on the team) resulting from five goals and a team-high eight assits. Two of his goals were game-winners. Martino is one of 15 finalists for both the Hermann Trophy Award and the M.A.C. Men’s Soccer Player of the Year award.

Eskandarian, a second-year forward, was named the 2000 ACC Rookie of the Year and was a First Team All-ACC selection last season. He was named the Freshman of the Year and was a Third Team All-America selection by Soccer America in 2000. Eskandarian was also named to the NSCAA adidas First Team All-South Atlantic Region team and was voted as the Player of the Year by the Virginia Sports Inforamtion Directors (VaSID). This year, he started 11 of the 13 games he has appeared in and has recorded 21 points (second on the team) resulting from nine goals and three assists. Five of Eskandarian’s goals were game-winners and he is tied for first on team with nine goals and five game-winning goals. Eskandarian is also one of 15 finalists for both the Hermann Trophy Award and the M.A.C. Men’s Soccer Player of the Year award.

Gibbs, a third-year forward, was named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 2000. He was also selected as an Honorable Mention All-American pick by Soccer America and was named to the NSCAA adidas Third Team All-South Atlantic Region team in 2000. This season, Gibbs has started 13 of the 16 games he has appeared in and leads Virginia with a team-high 23 points resulting from nine goals and five assists. Five of his goals were game-winners and he is tied for first at UVa with a team-high nine goals and five game-winning goals scored.

Cole, a third-year defender, was named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 2000. He was named a First Team All-State selection by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID). Cole has started all 17 games he has appeared in and has recorded six points resulting from two goals and two assists. Two of his goals were game winners. Cole has teamed with the UVa defense to help the Cavaliers post ten shutouts this season, including seven consecutive shutout victories over a 37-day period from September 9 – October 17.

Oliver, a redshirt-freshman, has started all 16 games he has appeared in this season. He has recorded one point this year after posting his first collegiate assist. Oliver teamed with Cole and the UVa defense to help the Cavaliers post ten shutouts this season, including seven consecutive shutout victories over a 37-day period from September 9 – October 17.

Gelnovatch is in his sixth year as Virginia’s head coach. He enters the ACC Tournament just two wins shy of 100 career coaching victories after guiding UVa to a record of 98-26-12 overall, 23-7-6 in the ACC. Gelnovatch has guided the Cavaliers to the finals in four of the last five ACC tournaments and won the 1997 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship. He and Virginia finished as the runner-up in 1996, 1999 and 2000. This season, Gelnovatch led UVa to its first undefeated regular season since 1995 and the Cavaliers’ first undefeated season in the ACC since 1986. Even more impressive than going undefeated in the conference for the first time in 15 years, Gelnovatch’s squad did it this season by posting six shutouts, marking the first time an ACC team won the conference by going undefeated without allowing a goal

2001 ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM

Name School PositionJonathan Cole Virginia DefenderAlecko Eskandarian Virginia ForwardRyan Gibbs Virginia ForwardKyle Martino Virginia MidfielderSumed Ibrahim Maryland MidfielderDanny Jackson North Carolina DefenderDonald McIntosh Duke MidfielderOguchi Onyewu Clemson DefenderAaron Thomas Wake Forest DefenderDoug Warren Clemson GoalkeeperJerry White Wake Forest Forward

2001 ALL-ACC SECOND TEAM

Name School PositionOskar Bringsved Clemson MidfielderBrian Carroll Wake Forest MidfielderJordan Cila Duke ForwardWill Hesmer Wake Forest GoalkeeperRyan Kneipper North Carolina ForwardChris Leitch North Carolina DefenderMatt Oliver Virginia DefenderLogan Pause North Carolina MidfielderKevin Sakuda Duke DefenderPhilip Salyer Maryland DefenderFabio Tambosi Clemson Midfielder

ACC Player of the Year Kyle Martino VirginiaACC Rookie of the Year Marcus Storey North CarolinaACC Coach of the Year George Gelnovatch Virginia