Seven members of the 12^th-ranked Emory University men’s soccer team were placed on the all-University Athletic Association (UAA) teams, based on their performances during conference games this season.  Two members, senior midfielder Christopher Howie and sophomore defender Andrew Natalino, were named to the first team.

In addition to Howie and Natalino, senior defender Nathan McKeever and junior goalkeeper Trenton Spindler earned spots on the all-UAA second team, while junior forwards Nao Masuda and Zach Samuels, and senior defender Adam Waxman were named honorable mentions. 

Howie, one of the co-captains of the team this season, finished the regular season with five assists, the second-best total on the team.  Two of his assists came in conference play, including the helper on the game-winning goal during the Eagles’ victory over the University of Rochester.  This is the second all-UAA honor of Howie’s career, after he was named an honorable mention to last year’s squad.

Despite spending most of his time on the Emory defense, Natalino has been the Eagles’ leading scorer with 11 goals and four assists for 26 points, along with a team-best five game-winning goals.  He finished UAA play with two goals and one assist, including the game-winning goal against Case Western Reserve University, and the game-tying goal against Brandeis University.  Natalino also contributed to an Emory defense that ranks fourth in Division III with a 0.33 goals-against average, including a 0.54 mark in conference matches.  This is the first post-season honor of the sophomore’s career.

McKeever earned his second-consecutive nod to the all-UAA second team, after starting all but one game on the Emory backline this season.  Helping the team to a 0.33 goals against average overall, the Eagles’ defense allowed just two goals in the six UAA matches that he played in during the season.  The senior also helped Emory to a program-record tying 13 shutouts during the campaign.

Spindler finished the regular season with a record of 13-2-2, and is currently on pace to set school single-season records with a 0.30 goals against average (seventh in Division III) and a 0.938 save percentage (second in Division III).  The junior’s eight shutouts are the most by an Emory goalkeeper over the last 24 years, and second overall in school history. Spindler played every minute of each of the seven UAA matches in goal for Emory, recording a 0.54 goals against average and a 0.895 save percentage.  This is the first postseason honor of Spindler’s career.

In his first year since transferring to Emory, Masuda finished the regular season second on the team with eight goals and 20 points.  The highlight of his campaign came during Emory’s win over 24^th-ranked Rochester, when he scored the first hat trick in a UAA match in over six years.  This is the first all-UAA honor for Masuda, who has previously been named to the all-USA South first team, while at Christopher Newport University in 2009.

Samuels finished the regular season with a team-best eight assists, including five on game winning goals.  Despite playing in just 14 regular season games due to injury, Samuels was tied for second on the team with 20 points, adding on six goals, including two game winners.  One of his game-winning goals came in conference play, as the sophomore scored the difference-maker in Emory’s 1-0 win over the University of Chicago.  This is the second postseason honor for Samuels, who was named an honorable mention to the all-UAA in 2009.

Waxman was part of the stalwart Emory backline that recorded four shutouts in conference matches and a 0.54 goals against average.  He started 17 games during the season for the Eagles, and was a key factor in the team’s program-record nine consecutive shutouts and 13 shutouts overall.  Waxman also scored a goal during the campaign.  This is his first career all-UAA honor.

The seven all-UAA honorees for Emory were the most among the conference teams this season.  The ballot for the all-UAA teams are comprised of each coach’s selections from his own squad, which is then voted on by all the conference coaches, based on UAA performance.

The Eagles will return to action on Sunday at 6:00 PM at the Woodruff P.E. Center, facing Lynchburg College in the second round of the NCAA Division III Championships.