Five MWC soccer teams from three league institutions were honored when the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released its 2005 Team Academic Award Winners. To qualify for the award, team’s needed to post a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2004-05 academic year.

Carroll (3.16 GPA), Grinnell (3.47) and Lawrence (3.36) were among the 248 women’s soccer programs honored, while the Grinnell (3.42) and Lawrence (3.23) squads were two of the 65 men’s teams recognized. The Pioneers and Vikings were two of 48 schools in all of collegiate soccer to have their men’s and women’s teams both receive the award.

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Wolin received first-team All-Wisconsin honors and was named second team All-North Central Region after posting a 9-7-1 record with four shutouts. He closed the year with a 2.34 goals against average and .689 save percentage. Wolin, who also earned second team All-MWC honors, played in the field in one game and scored a goal on his only shot attempt of the season.

Carlson, an honorable mention selection on the All-Wisconsin team, scored one goal and added two assists during his inaugural collegiate campaign. Dufficy, a first team all-conference selection this season, was also an honorable mention pick on the All-Wisconsin team after scoring once and posting two helpers in 2005.

Bernardy, a senior midfielder, was a first-team all-region pick. The 2005 Midwest Conference Player of the Year scored three goals and notched a team-high 10 assists for 16 points.

A senior forward, Merkatoris was a second-team all-region honoree. Merkatoris earned his third all-region mention, being a first-team pick in 2004 and a third-team pick in 2003. In 19 games, Merkatoris had 10 goals and eight assists for 28 points and was a first-team All-Midwest Conference pick.

Bonifas, a junior forward, was a third-team all-region selection. Bonifas led St. Norbert with 12 goals - seven of the game-winning variety - and had four assists for 28 points. He was also a first-team All-Midwest Conference pick.

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Winters, who was the MWC’s lone representative on the team, owns a perfect 4.00 grade point average with a double major in mathematics and economics. He was also the only student-athlete from a Wisconsin school to be named to the College Division team, which includes players nationally from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA schools.

Winters recently completed a stellar junior season, earning second-team All-Midwest Conference accolades. He was third on his team in scoring with 19 points, netting five goals and nine assists, as St. Norbert finished 16-3 overall. The Green Knights won their fourth consecutive Midwest Conference championship and also advanced to their fourth straight NCAA Division III Tournament.

A Dean’s List student, Winters is a two-time Academic All-Midwest Conference selection. He is a team captain in men’s soccer and men’s tennis. Winters is also the St. Norbert men’s representative to the MWC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

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St. Norbert senior midfielder Peter Bernardy (pictured) was named the 2005 Midwest Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the Year and was one of a league-high five first team All-Conference selections for the Green Knights. St. Norbert placed six total players on the all-conference teams, tying Carroll for the most players honored. Lawrence, Ripon and Monmouth followed with five players each, while Lake Forest and Beloit had four selections apiece. Knox and Illinois College rounded out the all-conference teams, as each had a pair of players selected.

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Despite being out-shot 12-6 in the first half, the Green Knights took a 1-0 lead into halftime. Andrew Winters netted St. Norbert’s lone tally with an unassisted goal in the 16th minute of the contest. The Wartburg offense responded with six unanswered goals in the second half, as the Knights tied the game at the 47:12 mark, before adding the game-winner 40 seconds later. Sebi Buyukaslan led the Green Knights with four shots, while Michael Rietveld added 11 saves in goal.

Dale Rhodes’ (pictured) St. Norbert squad, who won its fourth consecutive MWC Championship and MWC Tournament this season, closed the year with a 16-3-0 mark overall and a perfect 9-0-0 record in league play.

St. Norbert recorded the first NCAA Tournament victory in school and MWC history with a 3-2 triumph over Whitworth in last year’s opening round, before falling to UC-Santa Cruz 3-0 in the second round.

Dale Rhode’s club knocked off NCAA tourney qualifier Edgewood 3-2 in the regular-season, while both of the Green Knights losses this season came to tourney teams (Chicago 4-0, UW-Whitewater 2-1 OT). Wartburg’s losses this year came to Macalester, Loras and Central, with the latter being the only one of the three not included in the NCAA Tournament field.

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St. Norbert College junior forward Andrew Winters was named to the ESPN The Magazine/COSIDA Academic All-District V men’s soccer team. Winters, who holds a perfect 4.00 grade point average with a double major in mathematics and economics, helped the Green Knights to a 14-2 regular-season record and their fourth consecutive Midwest Conference championship.

Winters was fourth on the team in scoring at the end of the regular-season with three goals and five assists for 11 points. A Dean’s List student, Winters is a two-time Academic All-Midwest Conference selection. He is a team captain in men’s soccer and men’s tennis. Winters is also the St. Norbert men’s representative to the Midwest Conference Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Winters will now advance to the national ballot for the Men’s Soccer Academic All-American Team.

The top-seeded Green Knights of St. Norbert (16-2, 9-0 MWC) won their fourth consecutive Midwest Conference Men’s Soccer Tournament with a 5-1 victory over Lawrence (9-7-1, 7-2) on Sunday. The Green Knights became the second team in MWC history to win four straight tourney titles (Ripon 97-00). St. Norbert won its fourth consecutive and sixth overall MWC Championship earlier this season and will now participate in the 2005 NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament for an MWC-best fourth time after receiving the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA tourney. NCAA pairings will be announced late Sunday, November 6 or early on Monday, November 7 with first-round contests scheduled to be played on Wednesday, November 9.

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A berth in the NCAA Division III Men’s Soccer Tournament is up for grabs at this weekend’s Midwest Conference Tournament at the Dr. John R. Minahan Stadium Complex in De Pere, Wis. Four-time MWC champion St. Norbert College, along with Lake Forest College, Lawrence University and Ripon College, will battle for the national tournament berth awarded to the MWC’s post-season titleist.

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The St. Norbert (12-2-0, 7-0-0 MWC) men’s soccer team clinched its fourth consecutive Midwest Conference regular-season title on Tuesday, giving the Green Knights the No. 1 seed and home field advantage at the 2005 MWC Men’s Soccer Tournament. St. Norbert, who is currently ranked 5th in the NSCAA Central Region Poll, will be playing for its fourth straight conference tourney crown.

Dale Rhodes' (right) Green Knights team was not on the playing field Tuesday, but Lake Forest’s 1-0 victory over Carroll ended the possibility of any other league school overtaking the Green Knights league-best point total of 21. The Foresters ( 10-3-1, 6-3-0) also punched their postseason ticket with the victory. Carroll fell to 4-2 (12 points) in MWC play with the loss, the same record currently held by Lawrence. Statistically, the Green Knights, Pioneers and Vikings could all end the season with 7-2 conference marks, but St. Norbert holds the tie-breaker advantage, having defeated both schools in head-to-head competition earlier this season. The MWC point scale awards three points for a conference victory and one for a tie.

St. Norbert (17-1-2, 8-0-1 MWC) received eight of nine possible first-place votes in the poll, while Carroll (9-4-4, 8-0-1), who received the two remaining first-place tallies, finished second. Beloit (10-5-3, 5-2-2) filled the #3 slot, ahead of Lake Forest (12-2-2, 5-2-2) and Lawrence (7-7-3, 5-2-2), who tied for fourth to round out the Top 5. Grinnell (5-10-0, 3-6-0) and Ripon (6-10-0, 4-5-0) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Monmouth (2-13-1, 1-8-0), Illinois College (2-13-0, 1-8-0) and Knox (1-14-1, 1-8-0) filled out the three remaining spots in order.

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