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MEN'S SOCCER LANDS THREE ON ALL CONFERENCE TEAMS



Three student athletes from the Utica College men’s soccer team were named to the Empire 8 All Conference team released Thursday. Junior defender Nathan Broedel, sophomore midfielder Jon Wood and freshman forward DJ Ilebani earned All Conference honorable mention status. Wood was also named the College’s representative on the Sportsman of the Year team.

#3 Jon Wood
#3 Jon Wood
(11/06/2009)
- UTICA, NY (11/6/2009) – Three student athletes from the Utica College men’s soccer team were named to the Empire 8 All Conference team released Thursday. Junior defender Nathan Broedel (Hamilton, NY), sophomore midfielder Jon Wood (Derry, NY) and freshman forward DJ Ilebani (Abuja, Nigeria) earned All Conference honorable mention status. Wood was also named the College’s representative on the Sportsman of the Year team.

“This is a great honor for Nate, Jon and DJ,” said first year Head Coach Joe Calabrese. “These three young men were our top three point scorers this season and we are excited to have all three of them back next season.”

Broedel, a Division I transfer from St. Bonaventure in his second season at UC, made a successful transition from striker to the backfield and his athleticism helped to keep the opponents top offensive threat at bay all season. In addition to helping UC goalie Kevin Murphy (West Islip, NY) compile a 1.54 goals against average and four shut outs, Broedel also ranked third on the team with six points on three goals. He started every game this season and now has six career goals over the course of the past two seasons.

Wood, who played club ball at Seacoast United before coming to Utica, ranked second on the team with seven points on three goals and one assist. He netted arguably the biggest goal of the season to lift the Pioneers to a 1-0 overtime victory over regional power Union College on Sept. 18. The goal was also the first of his career. He totaled five points in a span of two games as the Pioneers won two straight contests and shut out their opponents 4-0 in the two victories. He also totaled a team-high 24 shots on the year.

Ilebani, an international student from Abuja, Nigeria, led UC with a team-high 10 points on five goals this season. In his first year dawning the blue and orange he proved he has a bright future through his raw talent and athletic ability. He scored a goal in each of his first two collegiate contests and also added the game-winner as the Pioneers shut down cross town rival SUNYIT 3-0 on Sept. 20.

Wood also joined seven other players in the conference on the Sportsman of the Year team. According to the Empire 8, the conference emphasizes that “Competing with Honor and Integrity” is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2009 men’s soccer sportsman of the year team.

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