Philadelphia, PA — Junior Geoff Pezon earned National Soccer Coaches Association of American/Adidas First Team All-American status and Messiah head coach Brad McCarty was named the 2010 NSCAA NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer National Coach of the Year at last weekend’s NSCAA Convention at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Philadelphia.
Pezon added to his first Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year honor with his first All-American accolade, dishing out a team-leading 18 assists and scoring 15 goals in helping Messiah to its seventh national championship in the last nine years.
A lightning-fast midfielder out of Blandon, Pa., Pezon’s 18 helpers broke the single-season assist record, moving his career mark to 35 dimes — equaling the vaunted program’s all-time record.
That is a mark Pezon now shares with former head coaching legend Dave Brandt, a record that stood by itself for 24 years.
“It’s not one thing with Peez,” McCarty said following the banquet. “He has the ability to score himself, create shots on his own, but also has displayed the ability to open up shots for others. One of the things that sets Peez apart is his area of influence. He can help us out defensively, covers a lot of ground in the midfield and has the ability and desire to make through-runs past our forwards.”
Those attributes served Pezon well throughout the year, as the junior registered a team-leading 48 points on the season, coming up with three game-winning goals as well.
Perhaps the most memorable was a left-footed rocket in Messiah’s 2-1 win over the University of Rochester in the sectional final, a shot that Pezon banged from nearly 20 yards out with just over three minutes remaining to send the Falcons back to the Final Four.
“I think Peez stands out to opposing coaches and fans alike because he has a dynamic element to what he does,” McCarty said. “It’s a combination of speed, athleticism and good touch.”
McCarty stood out in his own right in 2009, leading Messiah to a 2-0 win over Calvin College in the national championship — delivering the program its second straight title in his first season at the helm.
An eight-year assistant for the Falcons prior to taking over this season, McCarty was on board for five of the program’s first six titles. When Brandt resigned in December of 2008 to accept the men’s soccer head coaching at the U.S. Naval Academy, McCarty inherited a young team full of both promise and high expectations.
No problem for the first-year leader, however, as Messiah posted a 24-1 record overall, falling only to York College by a 2-0 score Oct. 7 — a team the Falcons have either lost to or tied during regular season play in each of the program’s last three national championship seasons.
The Coach of the Year honor was the second straight bestowed to the Falcons’ men’s program, as Brandt earned the honor last season.
“Any award like this is reflective of current players, entire coaching staffs, past coaches, past players and the contributions that they’ve all made,” McCarty said. “I would say the award is as much to the program as it is to the coach. Lots of people have impacted this program. I’m honored to be a small part of it.”
Pezon and McCarty highlighted Messiah’s awards at the national level, though several individuals received attention at the regional level as well. Senior defender Trey Overholt and junior midfielder Nick Thompson joined Pezon with NSCAA First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors, while fresman Josh Wood earned Second Team All-Region accolades.
Those awards were the first for Overholt and Wood, while Pezon was named a First Team All-Region selection last season and Thompson a Third Team choice.