Four Men's Soccer Players Named ECAC All-Stars
Four Empire 8 Athletic Conference (E8) men's soccer athletes have been named to the 2014 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)
Division III Upstate Men's Soccer All-Star Teams.
Alfred senior defender Jeff Thomas, Stevens Institute of Technology junior defender Harrison Kane and sophomore goalie Mike Renna and Utica forward Shane Ruffing each earned second team honors.
Thomas had a team-leading eight goals and 19 points (eight goals, three assists) for a Saxon squad that finished 9-8-2 overall (3-3-1 Empire 8). AU qualified as the fourth seed in the four-team conference championship tournament, where the Saxons held top-seeded Stevens scoreless through regulation and two overtime periods before falling 6-5 on penalty kicks.
In the backfield, Kane led a defense that was tops in the conference in goals against average (0.67). Kane, the 2014 E8 Player of the Year, provided the veteran leadership on the back line while starting all 20 games.
Anchoring the Ducks top defense in net was Renna. Is his first season as the starter, Renna posted 57 saves with nine shutouts and was named the conference championship's most valuable player after back-to-back shutouts against Alfred University and Ithaca College.
Ruffing wrapped up the year ranked first in the Empire 8 in goals (12) and points (26), while finishing second in shots (52), all of which led the team. His 12 goals in a single season rank second all-time at UC and his 26 total points rank fourth all-time. He now has 52 career points, which ranks fourth all-time at Utica. He opened up the season with 12 points in three games including a hat trick in the opener and wrapped up the regular season with two goals against Alfred, earning UC the No. 3 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Tournament.