Seven members of the 12th-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 24th-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.