ATLANTIC SOCCER CONFERENCE STANDINGS

November 13, 2011

GARDEN CITY, N.Y - Longwood University tied Adelphi 0-0 through 110 minutes but claimed the ASC Championship 5-4 on penalty kicks Sunday afternoon in Garden City, New York during the conference championship match. The Lancers beat Houston Baptist just two days prior in penalty kicks 4-2 to advance to the title tilt.

Senior Joel Helmick made two saves in the shootout with nine saves during regulation and overtime, while junior Vinnie Llana converted the winning penalty kick for Longwood.

Adelphi outshot Longwood 27-10 and had a 9-3 advantage in shots on goal, while both teams earned five corner kicks. This is Longwood's second ASC Tournament Championship, as they won the crown in 2008 as well.

FARMVILLE, Va. - Longwood University nabbed two of the three major Atlantic Soccer Conference postseason honors as sophomore Nick Surkamp and freshman Zach Crandall were voted ASC Player of the Year and ASC Rookie of the Year, respectively. Earning the other ASC major award was Adelphi head coach Carlo Acquista who was voted ASC Coach of the Year by the league's head coaches.

The awards were announced at a banquet on the eve of the 2011 ASC Conference Tournament, set to begin on Friday, November 11 at host Adelphi in Garden City, New York. In the first semifinal match, second-seed Longwood will face-off with #3 Houston Baptist at 4 p.m. followed by a 7 p.m. battle between fifth-seed NJIT and top-seeded Adelphi. The winner of each match will fight for the Championship Crown on Sunday, Nov. 13 at 12 p.m.

Surkamp was the top vote-getter among all league head coaches, which also earned him a place on the All-ASC First Team. The sophomore started 17 matches for the Lancers and led the team with 11 goals, 24 points, 57 shots, 36 shots on goal and four match-winning goals. He also went 3-for-3 on penalty kick attempts and added a pair of assists. Surkamp was twice named ASC Player of the Week.

Crandall started 16 of the season's games in 2011, scoring the second-most goals (eight), shots (50) and shots on goal (32). He also added one match-winning goal and dished two assists. The rookie was a one-time ASC Player of the Week and a two-time ASC Rookie of the Week, while also being named to the All-ASC First Team.

Acquista led the Panthers to an undefeated conference record (4-0) and the first seed in the ASC Tournament. This is the third ASC Coach of the Year nod he's received throughout his career at Adelphi.

Four other Lancers join Surkamp and Crandall on the First Team, including seniors Zack Mahon, Shane Johnson and Joel Helmick, along with junior Niels van Pelt. Mahon started 17 of 18 matches this season, scoring four goals with two assists for 10 points. Of his four goals, three were game-winners. Johnson was a stalwart on the Longwood backline, starting 15 matches being credited with a pair of assists. Helmick has been a staple at LU between the pipes since he came in as a freshman. This year the senior started all 18 matches in goal and played 1644:29, missing just 23:05 all season. He allowed 18 goals for a 0.99 goals against average and made 57 saves for a .760 save percentage. The goalkeeper also was named ASC Goalkeeper of the Week three times in 2011 and was voted ASC Rookie of the Year in 2008. van Pelt scored three goals - one of them a match-winner - with a team-high four assists for 10 points, starting all 18 matches.

Adelphi also garnered All-Conference First Team recognition with four Panthers finding their way on the list. Senior defenders Mauricio More and Dan Larenius added strength to the Adelphi defense, holding opponents to just 23 goals on the year. Combined, the two posted three goals on the year. Junior forwards Brandon Stoneham and Omar Edwards complete the foursome as Stoneham led the team with eight points on two goals and four assists, while Edwards totaled seven points, courtesy of three goals and one assists.

NJIT's Franco Gamero rounds out the First Team award winners. The junior forward is the Highlanders' leader in goals (4) and points (8), starting 13 of 17 matches. Most notably, he scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory past Virginia Tech that was the first win for NJIT in any sport over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent.

Longwood added one one more player to an All-ASC team in Patrick McDaniel who earned Second Team recognition for the third-straight year. The junior defender started all 18 matches for the Lancers and scored one goal on five shots - four on goal. His lone goal was also a match-winner.

Joining McDaniel on the Second Team are three student-athletes from Adelphi in the form of junior midfielders Issa Tall and Steven Rivera along with freshman Christopher Herrera. Tall leads the Panthers with three goals, while Rivera started all but two games on the year. Herrera earns the accolade from the goalkeeper position, posting a 6-6 record for 2011, making 57 saves and allowing just 14 goals for a 1.06 goals against average.

Houston Baptist was honored with four team members on the Second Team. Senior Richard Ojeda, sophomores Kristopher Tyrpak and Walter Kromholz as well as freshman Marcos Escobar. Escobar started six of 14 matches for the Huskies and is tied for second on the team with two goals, good for four points. He also earned one selection as ASC Rookie of the Week this season. Tyrpak started all 14 matches played, leading HBU with four assists and one goal for a team-high six points. The forward was also named ASC Rookie of the Year in 2010 while enjoying a spot on the First Team. Ojeda, a midfielder and team captain, was one of just three Huskies to start all 15 matches. He scored three points on one assist and one goal. Kromholz started 14 matches, scoring one goal - a game-winner nonetheless - from his defensive position.

Senior defender Gary Clark and junior forward Patrick Rose of Howard  earned Second Team honors for the Bison.

From NJIT, Timothy Hojnacki rounded out the All-ASC Second Team winners. A senior captain, the defender started every game  for the Highlanders, helping the team to five wins and holding opponents to 0.94 goals per game.

ASC All-Academic Team members were announced at the banquet as well. From Adelphi, Stoneham, Tall and junior defender Travis Tennie were recognized. Houston Baptist nabbed three spots in sophomore midfielder Mark Gendi, junior midfielder Mateo Jimenez and sophomore defender John McDuffee. Junior defender Kashmar Briscoe, Rose, and senior defender Christopher Sutherland represented Howard. Longwood's Mahon and Johnson also earned All-Academic honors, while junior defender Trevor Nye, sophomore midfielder Nils Warfving and sophomore forward Luqman Olawin gleaned the selection for NJIT.

ASC Player of the Year
Nick Surkamp | Sophomore | Midfield | Longwood

ASC Rookie of the Year
Zach Crandall | Freshman | Forward | Longwood

ASC Coach of the Year
Carlo Acquista | Adelphi

ALL-ASC First Team

All-ASC Second Team

ASC All-Academic Team

Surkamp earned ASC Player of the Week for the second time in a row. He scored the eventual game-winner on a penalty kick in Longwood’s 2-1 conference victory over Houston Baptist over the weekend, adding two more points to his name. The sophomore continues to lead the Lancers with 10 goals - 3 game-winners - and 22 points.

Crandall garnered his third weekly honor - the first as ASC Player of the Week Oct. 3 - as he was named ASC Rookie of the Week for the second week in a row. He tallied one goal and one assist as Longwood went 2-0. He sits second on the team with seven goals and 15 points.

Helmick is now a three-time ASC Goalkeeper of the Week, most recently earning a 2-0 record last week. He made two saves and conceded two goals in two games that were both decided by scores of 2-1. The senior's goals against average is 0.98 with a .775 save percentage.

FARMVILLE, Va. -- Longwood swept the ASC weekly honors for the second time in 2011. Sophomore Nick Surkamp earned his first weekly award of the season, gleaning ASC Player of the Week, while freshman Zach Crandall tallied another weekly honor, this time for ASC Rookie of the Week, and senior Joel Helmick nabbed his second ASC Goalkeeper of the Week selection after Longwood went 2-0 last week.

Surkamp tallied five points in Longwood's 2-0 week and now leads the Lancers with 10 goals and 22 points. In LU's 2-0 win at UNC Greensboro, the sophomore scored the second goal and added a goal and assisted on the game-winner in the team's 5-0 run past visiting Howard.

Crandall earned his second weekly honor, the first as ASC Player of the Week in week one, after registering one assist at UNCG - the first of his career - and a goal at home against Howard. The assist came on Surkamp's goal while the goal he scored against the Bison was the second of the game for the Lancers.

Helmick takes his second honor of the season after earning a 2-0 record, making six saves at UNCG and two at home against Howard. The senior played the duration in goal in Greensboro, recording his fifth shutout of the season, and split time against Howard, playing the first 75:30 of the match.