Jan. 4, 2011
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy men's soccer defenseman Martin Sanchez was named to the CollegeSoccerNews.com freshman All-America second team, the website announced recently. Sanchez was the lone Patriot League representative and was one of 33 players named to one of the three teams.
Sanchez, a freshman from Salisbury, Md., was named to the freshman All-American second team after a stellar rookie season in the defensive end. Sanchez, who earlier in the year was named to the NSCAA Division I All-Mid-Atlantic Region third team, appeared in all 16 games starting every one of them. Sanchez led a Navy defense that ranked 22nd nationally in team goals against average while leading the Patriot League. The Navy defense allowed just 13 goals all season (16 games), one year after allowing 28 tallies in 19 games. Navy held 12 of its 16 opponents to one or fewer goals, while recording seven shutouts. In addition, Navy allowed just 11.6 shots per game. Earlier during his freshman campaign, Sanchez was named the Patriot League's Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 13) and was selected to the UMBC / Navy Kick-Off All-Tournament Team (Sept. 7).
The Mids recorded their first .500 record in five years with a 7-5-4 mark and finished with a 2-2-3 Patriot League record, while finishing ranked in the top 100 in all six statistical categories (scoring offense, total goals, goals against average, shutout percentage, winning percentage and save percentage) kept by the NCAA. Head coach Dave Brandt will lose just three seniors (Sam Lepley, Alex Foskett, Will Craven) while welcoming back players that scored all 24 goals and had 20 of Navy's 22 assists on the offensive side of the field, three starting defensemen and the starting goalkeeper for the 2011 season.
# GO NAVY #
