UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's soccer players Owen Griffith (Lewisburg, Pa.), Connor Maloney (Harrisburg, Pa.) and Andrew Wolverton (Atlanta, Ga.) have been awarded spots on the NCAA Division I All-Midwest Region Team, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America announced Wednesday (Dec. 10). Griffith was one of 10 players in the region to be awarded first team honors, while Maloney and Wolverton would up on the second and third teams respectively.
"These are three great people as well as great players and they are all terrific representatives of Penn State and our program," said head coach Bob Warming following the announcement.
Griffith and Wolverton both had outstanding senior years as the tandem helped the Nittany Lions build one of the most stellar defenses in the Big Ten. In goal, Wolverton earned nine shutouts, putting him in a tie for second in the conference in that category. He also made 64 saves and had an 0.90 goals against average. Griffith started in 19 matches and was one of 10 players on the Penn State team to log at least 1,500 minutes out on the pitch during the 2014 campaign. He tallied a goal and an assist during his final collegiate season, while playing solid defense which helped his team rank second in the Big Ten in least goals allowed.
Maloney was the author of a breakout sophomore season which saw him lead the team in goals (10), points (23) and game winning goals (5). Additionally, the Midwest Region Second Team honoree ranked first, and was tied for second and first in the same categories among his peers in the Big 10. For his efforts, he was named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year.
"I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for all three of them," Warming added. "Owen and Wolvy (Wolverton) are graduating and will be getting lots of looks from the professional ranks and I am excited to see what progress Connor continues to make in his game at Penn State."
Wolverton is the only one out of the trio making his second appearance on an NSCAA All-Region team as he earned All-Great Lakes First Team honors following his junior season in 2013. This year marks the first time since 2009 that Warming has seen at least three of his players honored by the NSCAA, as Matheus Braga, Andres Casais and Jason Yeisley all earned slots on the Great Lakes Region second and third teams.
The complete 2014 Midwest All-Region Team can be found on the NSCAA's website: http://bit.ly/1zwQDtR