Virginia's George Gelnovatch Named VaSID Coach of the Year, Seven UVa Men's Soccer Players Selected to 2001 All-State Teams

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Dec. 7, 2001

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia men’s soccer team had seven players selected to the 2001 VaSID (Virginia Sports Information Directors) All-State teams and UVa head coach George Gelnovatch was named the 2001 VaSID Coach of the Year. Virginia’s Jonathan Cole (Annapolis, Md./McDonogh) and Kyle Martino (Westport, Conn./Staples) were named to the 2001 VaSID All-State First Team, while UVa’s Kenny Arena (Fairfax, Va./Oakton), David Comfort (Richmond, Va./Monacan), Alecko Eskandarian (Montvale, N.J./Bergen Catholic), Jacob LeBlanc (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) and Marshall Leonard (Midland, Ga./Shaw) were tabbed as 2001 VaSID All-State Second Team choices.

Gelnovatch, the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference’s Coach of the year, was named the Coach of the Year by VaSID for the second time after leading the Cavaliers to a record of 17-2-1 overall, 6-0-0 in the ACC. Gelnovatch was also named the Virginia Coach of the Year in 1998. This year, he led UVa to an unbeaten regular season, a No. 2 national ranking and the No. 2 seed in the 2001 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship before the Cavaliers lost to Seton Hall, 1-0, in the NCAA second round. The 2001 Virginia squad became the first team in ACC history to go undefeated in the conference without allowing a goal after outscoring its opponents, 11-0. Gelnovatch has a career record of 99-28-12 in six years with the Cavaliers.

Cole, a third-year defender, started all 18 games he appeared in and tallied 1,566 minutes of playing time. He recorded six points resulting from two goals and two assists. Both of Cole’s goals were game-winners. He was named First Team All-ACC and was selected to the 2001 Virginia Soccer Classic All-Tournament team. Cole helped UVa record ten shutouts this season, including seven consecutive shutouts over a 37-day period from September 9 – October 17.

Martino, a third-year midfielder, started all 18 games he appeared in and tallied 1,447 minutes of playing time. He recorded 20 points resulting from eight assists and six goals. Three of Martino’s goals were game-winners. His eight assists was a team-high figure and his 20 points, six goals and three game-winning goals scored were the third highest totals on the squad. Martino was named the 2001 ACC Player of the Year, was named a First Team All-ACC selection and was selected to the 2001 ACC All-Tournament team. He was twice named to Soccer America’s Team of the Week and as the ACC Player of the Week on September 10 & October 15. Martino was named the Offensive MVP and to the Maryland/Fila Classic All-Tournament team. He 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.

Arena, a third-year midfielder, started all 19 games he appeared in and posted 1,624 minutes of playing time. He recorded nine points (fifth on the team) resulting from three goals (fourth on the team) and three assists. One of Arena’s goals was a game-winner. He used his height and size to become UVa’s best ball-winner in the air.

Comfort, a third-year goalkeeper, started all 17 games he appeared in and recorded 1,553 minutes between the pipes. He gathered 47 saves after facing 122 shots and posted an .810 saves percentage and an 0.64 goals against average. Comfort recorded nine shutouts for the season and UVa was 14-2-1 with him as the starting goalkeeper.

Eskandarian, a second-year forward, started 14 of the 16 games he appeared in and gathered 1,321 minutes of playing time. He recorded 21 points (second on the team) resulting from a team-high nine goals to go along with three assists. Five of Eskandarian’s goals were game-winners. He was named First Team All-ACC and was named to both the Virginia Soccer Classic and the Maryland/Fila Classic All-Tournament teams. Eskandarian is one of 15 finalists for both the Hermann Trophy Award and the M.A.C. Men’s Soccer Player of the Year award.

LeBlanc, a second-year midfielder, started all 20 games he appeared in as a midfielder. He recorded 1,592 minutes of playing time and scored 10 points (fourth on the team) resulting from six assists and two goals. LeBlanc’s six assists was the second highest mark on the team. He was selected to Soccer America’s Team of the Week on October 1st and dished out the game-winning assist in back-to-back games in UVa’s wins over N.C. State (9/30) and Temple (10/2) when he sent a corner kick to Cole that resulted in a header for goal in both matches.

Leonard, a fourth-year defender/midfiedler, started all 19 games he appeared in and recorded 1,727 minutes of playing time. He scored three points resulting from three assists. Leonard also helped UVa record ten shutouts this season, including seven consecutive shutouts over a 37-day period from September 9 – October 17. He was used primarily as a defender by had the versatility to move forward to the midfielder position.

Old Dominion University sophomore forward Attila Vendegh took Virginia Player of the Year honors.

Here is a look at the 2001 VaSID All-State selections:

2001 VaSID ALL-STATE FIRST TEAM

Name School PositionJonathan Cole Virginia DefenderMilorad Djordjevic Virginia Commonwealth DefenderCaleb Stoddart William & Mary DefenderLevi Strayer James Madison DefenderKyle Martino Virginia MidfielderCarlos Mendes Old Dominion MidfielderRoman Otten Virginia Commonwealth MidfielderReggie Rivers James Madison MidfielderCarlos Garcia William & Mary ForwardAttila Vendegh Old Dominion ForwardShawn Alexander Richmond Goalkeeper

2001 VaSID ALL-STATE SECOND TEAM

Name School PositionGrant Dickens Richmond DefenderMarshall Leonard Virginia DefenderKeith Nakai George Mason DefenderHugh VanWagenen George Mason DefenderKenny Arena Virginia MidfielderTy Enmark Virginia Tech MidfielderJacob LeBlanc Virginia MidfielderJonathan Rios VMI MidfielderAlecko Eskandarian Virginia ForwarFred Silva Virginia Tech ForwardDavid Comfort Virginia Goalkeeper

Player of the Year: Attila Vendegh, Old DominionCoach of the Year: George Gelnovatch, Virginia

— UVa —