Ten Former Virginia Players Selected to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Men's Soccer Team

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Aug. 13, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary Men’s Soccer Team was announced today by Commissioner John Swofford. The 55-member team was voted on by the seven league institutions that sponsor the sport as decided by the league’s 50th Anniversary Committee. Virginia had ten former players selected to the squad. The ten Cavaliers named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Men’s Soccer Team, in alphabetical order, is as follows: Jeff Agoos, Mike Fisher, Jeff Gaffney, George Gelnovatch, John Harkes, Kyle Martino, Tony Meola, Ben Olsen, Claudio Reyna and A.J. Wood.

UVa’s ten selections was tied with Duke for the second most players chosen from one school. Clemson had the most selections after 13 Tigers were honored. N.C. State had nine players selected, followed by North Carolina with six, Maryland with five and Wake Forest with two.

Jeff Agoos (1986-1990) is Virginia’s only four-time All-America selection. He earned First-Team NSCAA All-America honors in 1988 and 1990, was a Second-Team NSCAA All-American in 1989 and was a Third-Team selection in 1986. Agoos was named First-Team All-ACC each of his four years at UVa and was chosen as the MVP of the 1988 ACC Tournament. He sat out the 1987 season while playing for the United States in the under-20 World Cup. Agoos was a two-time member of the U.S. National Team in 1998 and 2002 while competing in the World Cup and was also a 2000 Olympian. He finished his UVa career with 39 points resulting from 17 goals and five assists after starting all 88 games he appeared in.

Mike Fisher (1993-1996) is Virginia’s all-time leading scorer with 267 points resulting from 56 goals (tied for second all-time at UVa) and 55 assists (first all-time at Virginia) and started all 94 games he appeared in. Fisher received the Hermann Trophy in both 1995 and 1996 and was also named the National Player of the Year by the Missouri Athletic Club and the NSCAA in 1996. He was named the Soccer America Player of the Year in 1995 and was selected the ACC Player of the Year in both 1995 and 1996. Fisher earned NSCAA First-Team All-America honors in 1995 and 1996 and was also named a Second-Team selection in 1994. He was named First-Team All-ACC in 1995 and 1996 and earned Second-Team All-ACC honors in 1994. Fisher was the ACC Tournament MVP in 1995 and was also named to the All-ACC Tournament in 1994 and 1996.

Jeff Gaffney (1982-1985) is the only player in Virginia men’s soccer history to have his number (#14) retired. Gaffney finished his career with 155 points (second all-time at UVa) resulting from a school-record 69 goals to go along with 17 assists after playing in 84 contests. He was a First-Team NSCAA All-American in 1984 and earned Second-Team All-America honors in 1985. Gaffney was named a First-Team All-ACC selection in both 1984 and 1985 and was a Second-Team All-ACC selection in 1982.

George Gelnovatch (1983-1986) was an NSCAA First-Team All-American in 1986 and earned First-Team All-ACC honors in 1986. Gelnovatch was also named a three-time, Second-Team All-ACC selection in 1983, 1984 and 1985. He finished his career fifth all-time at Virginia with 118 points resulting from 49 goals (fourth all-time at UVa) and 20 assists after playing in 83 contests. Gelnovatch is the current head coach of the Virginia men’s soccer team and has posted a record of 99-28-12 (.755) overall through six seasons. He led UVa to an ACC title in 1997 and to six NCAA Tournament appearances (including an NCAA runner-up finish in 1997) in his six years as head coach. Gelnovatch was also named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1996 and 2001.

John Harkes (1985-1987) was Virginia’s first-ever National Player of the Year after being named the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year in 1987. Harkes was also chosen as the 1987 ACC Player of the Year and was an NSCAA First-Team All-America selection in both 1986 and 1987. He also earned First-Team All-ACC honors in 1986 and 1987. Harkes finished his UVa career with 67 points resulting from 26 goals and 15 assists after starting 56 of the 59 games he appeared in. He was a two-time member of the U.S. National Team and competed in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup and was also a 1988 Olympian.

Kyle Martino (1999-2001) was named the 2001 ACC Player of the Year and was also chosen as a 2001 NSCAA/Adidas First-Team All-American. He was selected as a three-time, First-Team All-ACC choice and was named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 1999, 2000 and 2001. Martino was named Second-Team All-American by Soccer America in 2000 and was selected the ACC Rookie of the Year in 1999. He was a two-time finalist for the Hermann Trophy in 2000 and 2001 and was a 2001 M.A.C. candidate. Martino finished his UVa career with 55 points resulting from 21 assists and 17 goals after starting all 63 games he appeared in.

Tony Meola (1988-1989) received both the Hermann Trophy and the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year award in 1989. Meola was also chosen as the 1989 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. He has the lowest career GAA (0.34) in both UVa and ACC history. Meola was an NSCAA First-Team All-American in 1988 and 1989 and earned First-Team All-ACC honors in 1988 and 1989. He was named the Defensive MVP of the 1989 NCAA Tournament. Meola sat out the 1987 season while playing for the United States in the under-20 World Cup. Meola was also a three-time member of the U.S. National Team and competed in the 1990, 1994 and 2002 World Cup and was a 1988 Olympian. For his UVa career, Meola started 32 of the 33 games he appeared in an posted 88 saves, 17 shutouts had a record of 27-1-4 and had a .889 career save percentage.

Ben Olsen (1995-1997) was named the National Player of the Year by both Soccer America and Soccer News in 1997. Olsen was a NSCAA First-Team All-America selection in 1997 and was named First-Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 1996 and 1997. He was selected to the 1997 All-NCAA Tournament team and was the ACC Tournament MVP in 1997. Olsen scored two goals against Saint Louis in the 1997 NCAA semifinals. He finished his UVa career with 109 points (sixth all-time at Virginia) resulting from 41 assists and 34 goals after starting all 69 games he appeared in. Olsen was a 2000 Olympian.

Claudio Reyna (1991-1993) was selected as the Missouri Athletic Club National Player of the Year in both 1992 and 1993. He was the only player to ever win the MAC award twice. Reyna also received the Hermann Trophy in 1993. He was named the Soccer America Player of the Year in 1992 and 1993 and was the Soccer News Player of the Year in 1993. Reyna was an NSCAA First-Team All-American in 1991, 1992 and 1993 and he earned First-team All-ACC honors in 1991, 1992 and 1993. Reyna was named the 1991 ACC Rookie of the Year and was the Offensive MVP of the NCAA Tournament in 1991 and 1992. He was also named the ACC Tournament MVP in 1991 and was selected to the All-ACC Tournament in 1993. Reyna finished his UVa career with 64 points resulting from 22 assists and 21 goals after starting 59 of the 65 games he appeared in. He was a three-time member of the U.S. National Team after competing in the 1994, 1998 and 2002 World Cup. Reyna was also a 1992 and 1996 Olympian.

A.J. Wood (1991-1994) holds the all-time NCAA Tournament scoring records with 13 goals and 29 points. Wood was named the National Player of the Year by Soccer America in 1994 and earned Third-Team NSCAA All-America honors in 1994. He was named a First-Team All-ACC selection in 1994 and was a Second-Team All-ACC choice in 1992. Wood was named to the All-ACC Tournament in 1993 and 1994 and was one of only two players to have earned four letters while playing for a national championship team each season. He finished his UVa career with 128 points (third all-time at Virginia) resulting from 56 goals (tied for second all-time at UVa) and 16 assists after starting 72 of the 77 games he appeared in. On of his biggest goals came on December 11, 1994 when he scored the game-winning goal against Indiana in 1994 NCAA championship game to lift Virginia to a 1-0 victory. He also scored a goal in the NCAA semifinals in both 1991 and 1992. Wood was also an Olympian in 1996.

— UVa —