University of Connecticut Athletics
Alvarez, Blake and Diouf Named NSCAA All-Americans
12/7/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Dec. 7, 2012
STORRS, Conn. - University of Connecticut senior midfielder Carlos Alvarez and sophomore goalkeeper Andre Blake are both repeat NSCAA All-Americans while junior forward Mamadou Doudou Diouf is a first-time All-American. Andre Blake was voted a First Team All-American while Carlos Alvarez and Mamadou Diouf were placed on the All-America Second Team.
Alvarez (Los Angeles, Calif.) was named to the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-America Second Team in 2011. Blake (May Pen, Jamaica) was named to the Third Team as a freshman in 2011. Connecticut has advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons.
Blake, Alvarez and Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) are the 48th All-America selections in UConn history and the 24th selections under Head Coach Ray Reid. Blake and Alvarez are the fourth and fifth to earn multiple All-America honors, and the first since Julius James in 2006 and 2007.
Blake is UConn's 16th First-Team selection and the 14th player overall to earn the honor, with Chris Gbandi (2000, 2001) and Julius James (2006, 2007) the only players to be named First Team All-American multiple years.
Blake led UConn to a 17-4-1 record based on a 0.54 goals against average and a .840 save percentage. On the year, he recorded 11 shutouts, giving him 26 in 47 career games. The reining two-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, Blake has earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team in back-to-back seasons. His 0.54 goals against average ranked third in the nation.
In two years at UConn, Blake sits eighth all-time in wins (36), third in consecutive starts (47), second in lowest goals against average (0.46) and seventh in shutouts (26).
Alvarez was tabbed 2012 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team in his final year in Storrs. Alvarez led UConn to the 2009 and 2012 BIG EAST Regular Season Championship and finished his career third all-time at Connecticut with 42 assists. His 82 points placed him No. 14 all-time. As a senior, Alvarez notched seven goals and nine assists for 23 points. A two-time All-BIG EAST First Team selection, Alvarez was named 2009 BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.
Diouf earned a spot on the TDS Third Team after ranking second in the BIG EAST Conference and sixth in the NCAA with 15 goals scored. Diouf added two assists for 32 points. A 2012 All-BIG EAST First Team selection, he was previously named 2012 Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. Diouf was a member of the 2011 All-BIG EAST First Team and was selected to the 2010 All-BIG EAST Rookie Team.
First Team
Name | Class | Pos | School | Hometown |
So. | K | Connecticut | May Pen, Jamaica | |
Chad Barson | Sr. | D | Akron | Lewis Center, Ohio |
Andrew Farrell | Jr. | D | Louisville | Louisville, Ky. |
Andrew Ribeiro | Sr. | D | Creighton | Green Bay, Wis. |
Scott Caldwell* | Sr. | M | Akron | Braintree, Mass. |
Jose Gomez | Sr. | M | Creighton | Santa Ana, Calif, |
Dillon Powers | Sr. | M | Notre Dame | Plano, Texas |
Ashton Bennett* | Sr. | F | Coastal Carolina | Clarendon, Jamaica |
Ryan Finley | Sr. | F | Notre Dame | Lumberton, N.J. |
Daniel Haber | Jr. | F | Cornell | Toronto |
Patrick Mullins | Jr. | F | Maryland | New Orleans |
Second Team
Name | Class | Pos | School | Hometown |
David Meeves | Sr. | K | Akron | Arlington Heights, Ill. |
Nick Hagglund | Jr. | D | Xavier | Cincinnati |
Boyd Okwuonu | So. | D | North Carolina | Edmond, Okla. |
Dylan Remick | Sr. | D | Brown | Inverness, Ill. |
Walker Zimmerman* | So. | D | Furman | Lawrenceville, Ga. |
Sr. | M | Connecticut | Los Angeles, Calif. | |
Leonardo Fernandes | Sr. | M | Stony Brook | West Babylon, N.Y. |
Ryan Hollingshead | Sr. | M | UCLA | Granite Bay, Calif. |
Jr. | F | Connecticut | Dakar, Senegal | |
Steve Neumann | Jr. | F | Georgetown | New Hope, Pa. |
Devon Sandoval | Sr. | F | New Mexico | Albuquerque, N.M. |
Chris Thomas | Sr. | F | Elon | Snellville, Ga. |
Third Team
Name | Class | Pos | School | Hometown |
James Belshaw | Sr. | K | Duke | Nottingham, England |
Marcello Castro* | Sr. | D | Sacred Heart | Parana, Brazil |
Shaun Foster | Sr. | D | Hofstra | Liverpool, England |
Kyle Venter* | Jr. | D | New Mexico | Aurora, Colo. |
London Woodberry | Sr. | D | Maryland | McKinney, Texas |
Ian Christianson | Sr. | M | Georgetown | Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
Miguele Lopez | So. | M | North Carolina | Mission, Texas |
John Stertzer* | Sr. | M | Maryland | Oakton, Va. |
William Trapp | So. | M | Akron | Gahanna, Ohio |
Don Anding | Sr. | F | Northeastern | Amity Harbor, N.Y. |
Erik Hurtado | Sr. | F | Santa Clara | Portland, Ore. |
Robbie Kristo | Jr. | F | Saint Louis | St. Louis, Mo. |
Eriq Zavaleta | So. | F | Indiana | Westfield, Ind. |
