Four Virginia Men's Soccer Players Named To The 2002 Virginia Sports Information Director's All-State Teams

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Dec. 11, 2002

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Four University of Virginia men’s soccer players were selected to the 2002 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Teams. UVa forward Alecko Eskandarian (Montvale, N.J./Bergen Catholic) was named the 2002 Virginia Men’s Soccer Division I Player of the Year and was named to the VaSID First Team. The trio of Kenny Arena (Fairfax, Va./Oakton), Jonathan Cole (Annapolis, Md./McDonogh) and Jacob LeBlanc (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) were selected to the VaSID Second Team. Virginia Commonwealth head soccer coach Tim O’Sullivan was named the 2002 VaSID Coach of the Year.

Eskandarian started all 20 games he appeared in as a forward and scored a team-high 54 points resulting from a team-high 25 goals to go along with four assists. He also scored a team-high six game-winning goals in 2002. Eskandarian was named the Virginia Player of the Year honors for the second time (he also won the award as a freshman in 2000) after leading Virginia to a 15-7 overall record and into the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He was also named to the VaSID Second Team in 2001. The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, Eskandarian led the ACC and the South Atlantic Region with his 25 goals and 54 points. He set a UVa school-record for goals scored in a season and his 54 points rank fourth most for a season, while his 50 career goals is fourth on the Virginia all-time list and his 113 points ranks sixth in school history.

Eskandarian has also been named the MVP of the 2002 Virginia Soccer Classic and to the 2002 Virginia Soccer Classic All-Tournament team as well as to the 2002 ACC All-Tournament and the 2002 Maryland/FILA Classic All-Tournament teams. He is also a finalist for the 2002 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy award.

Arena started 16 of the 17 games he appeared in this season as a midfielder. He recorded five points resulting from three assists and one goal (game-winner). Arena was also named to the VaSID Second Team last year (2001) and was named to the 2002 All-ACC Second Team this season.

Cole started all 22 games he appeared in as a defender. He scored four points resulting from two assists and one goal. Cole helped the UVa defense record seven shutouts this season, including a stretch of three consecutive games on two separate occasions. He was also named to both the 2002 Virginia Soccer Classic and to the 2002 Maryland/FILA Classic All-Tournament teams this season. This was Cole’s third consecutive year of being honored by VaSID. He was also named to the VaSID First Team in both 2000 and 2001.

LeBlanc started 17 of the 18 games he appeared in as a midfielder. He scored eight points resulting from a team-high eight assists. LeBlanc was also named to the 2002 ACC All-Tournament team. Last year (2001), LeBlanc was named to the VaSID Second Team.

VCU’s O’Sullivan earned his second Virginia Coach of the Year honor, as he also was chosen in 1997. In 2002, he led Virginia Commonwealth to its second Colonial Athletic Association championship and a No. 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament as the Rams finished the year at 15-5-1, 7-1-1 in the CAA. In eight years at VCU, O’Sullivan has a record of 87-60-21 and he has a 20-year career record of 202-168-46.

The 2002 VaSID All-Virginia selections are listed below:

Player of the Year:   Alecko Eskandarian, Jr., VirginiaCoach of the Year:   Tim O'Sullivan, Virginia Commonwealth

2002 VaSID FIRST TEAM

Name			Year		School			PositionMilorad Djordjevic 	Sr.		VCU			DefenderPhillip Hucles 		Jr.		William & Mary		DefenderTrevor McEachron 		So.		Old Dominion		DefenderGonzalo Segares 		So. 		VCU			DefenderRalph Bean 		Sr.		William & Mary		MidfielderCarlos Garay 		Sr.		VCU			MidfielderPeer Rogge 		Fr.		Virginia Tech		MidfielderRandy Ugarte 		Jr.		VCU			MidfielderAlecko Eskandarian 	Jr.		Virginia			ForwardAttila Vendegh 		Jr.		Old Dominion		ForwardJohn O'Hara 		Soph.		George Mason		Goalkeeper

2002 VaSID SECOND TEAM

Name			Year		School			PositionJonathan Cole 		Sr.		Virginia			DefenderLasse Mertins		Jr.		Virginia Tech		DefenderDamian O'Rourke 		Fr.		George Mason		DefenderJoe Vidmar 		Jr.		Richmond		DefenderKenny Arena 		Sr.		Virginia			MidfielderBrentley Kellum 		Jr.		Liberty			MidfielderJacob LeBlanc 		Jr.		Virginia			MidfielderJonathan Rios 		Sr.		VMI			MidfielderMatthew Delicate 		Jr.		VCU			ForwardCarlos Garcia 		Sr.		William & Mary		ForwardMike Nwaneri 		Jr.		Richmond		Goalkeeper

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