2015 All-Conference Teams
The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the 2015 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Teams and yearly award winners, and teams are well represented across the board. Stevens Institute of Technology midfielder Colin Phillips earned the Player of the Year, while Houghton Andrew Bussey was named the Rookie of the Year. Ithaca College head coach Patrick Ouckama was voted the Doug May Coach of the Year.
Phillips helped lead the Ducks to its ninth straight conference championship and 13
th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a current record of 15-3-2. He has started all 20 games and leads the team with 35 points on 14 goals and seven assists. His 35 points ranks second in the conference, while his 14 goals and seven assists each stand third. Phillips registered at least one point in 11 games, including two hat tricks. He is the eighth consecutive Stevens men’s soccer athlete to earn Player of the Year honors.
Bussey quickly adjusted to the collegiate starting all 18 games. He finished second on the team with 12 points (4g, 4a), as he becomes the second Houghton player to receive the E8 Rookie of the Year award. His offensive output helped the Highlanders qualify for the E8 Tournament for the first time.
Ouckama guided the Bombers to a 7-8-3 overall record and 6-1-0 league mark in his first year at the helm. Ithaca earned the top seed in the conference tournament for the first time since 2008. Six of his players were recognized on the all-conference team for their play throughout the season. Ouckama is the second coach from Ithaca to earn the coaching honor, as former coach Andy Byrne won the award in 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2008.
The coaching award is named after May, who coached RIT from 1980 to 1996 and Nazareth from 1997 to 2003 before passing away in April 2004.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2015 Men’s Soccer Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.