KANSAS CITY, Mo. - After claiming the Heart of America Athletic Conference regular-season championship for the third-straight year, the No. 1 Central Methodist men's soccer team earned eight all-conference honorees, highlighted by four first-team members including Freshman of the Year, Tom Irion.
Irion, who was also named the Heart Defensive Player of the Year, led the Eagles with nine goals scored in 12 starts. The freshman anchored the defensive backline to an NAIA leading seven shutouts and held their opponents to .079 shots/game. Irion is also No. 4 in the nation with four game-winning goals.
Marcos German, Carlos Scheckermann, and Stefano Camerlengo joined Irion on the Heart All-Conference First Team. German was selected to the first team for the second time in his career, recording two goals, six assists, and serving as a key piece in the Eagles' defensive backline.
Scheckermann finished tied for second on the team with five goals, paired with three assists, earning all-conference honors for the first time in 2020. Freshman goalkeeper Stefano Camerlengo rounded out the first-team honorees for the Eagles, as the Pescara, Italy native recorded four clean sheets in 10 starts, and recording a .806 save percentage.
The three-time Heart regular-season champions are led by seventh-year head coach Alex Nichols, who was named the Heart Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season. Coach Nichols sports a 105-26-8 record in seven seasons at the helm of the program, collecting his 100th career win against Missouri Valley College on Oct. 28.
Christian Sanchez and Guzman Pery landed on the second team, both earning all-conference honors for the first time. Sanchez finished 2020 with five goals scored on 34 shots and 22 coming on goal. He also picked up an assist against Clarke on Oct. 18. Pery concluded his career this fall with a team-leading seven assists in just 10 games played, good enough for No. 13 in the NAIA.
Rounding out the all-conference awards were Alessandro Lacerti and Billy Nzojyibwami who both earned third-team recognition. Lacerti started all 12 games for the Eagles, serving as a crucial component to the defense that gave up just six goals this season. Nzojyibwami started 11 of 12 matches in his first year with the Eagles, finishing tied for second on the squad in both goals (five) and assists (six).
Central has earned the No. 1 seed in the Heart of America Athletic Conference men's soccer tournament and will host the quarterfinals Saturday, April 10 at Davis Field.
To view the complete release of the Heart All-Conference award winners, please click here.
#TakeFlight
