Washington U. Men’s Soccer Lands Five on All-Central Region Team

ALL-REGION TEAM

St. Louis, Mo., December 15, 2011 — The Washington University in St. Louis men’s soccer team had five student-athletes earn 2011 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) NCAA Division III All-Central Region honors, as announced by the NSCAA.

Senior midfielder Cody Costakis, sophomore goalkeeper Jonathan Jebson, junior back Kenji Kobayashi, and senior forward Patrick McLean were named to the All-Central Region first team, while junior back Brian Wright earned second-team All-Central Region honors.

“I was thrilled to have so many players recognized,” Washington University head coach Joe Clarke said. “All five are worthy, and that rarely happens. The recognition speaks to the consistency that each of these players demonstrated throughout the season. It also speaks to the attractive style of soccer the players performed each game. I am so happy for each of them.”

Costakis, who was a second-team All-Central Region selection in 2010, started all 20 games for Washington University in 2011. He led the team and was third in the University Athletic Association (UAA) in assists with eight. Costakis, a three-time all-UAA honoree, started all 58 games in his three-year career at Washington U. and finished with 10 goals and 17 assists.

Jebson, a first-team All-UAA selection, established himself as the top goalkeeper in the conference after posting a 15-3-1 record in 20 starts. He ranked second in goals against average (0.60), save percentage (.844), saves (65) and shutouts (eight). Jebson also finished the season ranked 17th in NCAA Division III in goals against average.

Kobayashi received All-Central Region first-team honors after being named to the All-UAA second team in 2011. He started all 20 games for the Bears this season. Kobayashi scored the game-winning header in Washington U.’s 2-1 win at New York University on Oct. 14. He finished the season with one goal to bring his career total to six.

McLean also started all 20 games for the Bears, finishing with six goals and five assists for 17 points. He also led the team with three game-winning goals. McLean was selected to the All-Central Region first team for the second-straight season, and was also a two-time All-UAA first-team honoree. He played in 71 games in his career at Washington U., finishing with 16 goals and 10 assists.

Wright was named to the All-Central Region second team after finishing the season with two assists from his back position. Wright started all 20 games in 2011 and also received second-team All-UAA recognition.

The five All-Region honorees marked the most for Washington U. since 1987 when the Bears also had five All-Region selections. In addition, it was just the third time in school history that WU has placed more than three student-athletes on the All-Region first team. Washington U. also had four first-team All-Region honorees in 2007, while boasting a program-best six first-team All-Region student-athletes in 1961.

Washington University finished the 2011 season with a 15-4-1 overall record and captured its sixth UAA Championship in school history. The Bears advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Ohio Wesleyan University, 1-0.