Although the season is over, the Slippery Rock soccer programs continue to receive accolades as Rock athletes were named to several all-region teams.
A trio of players were named to the Conference Commissioner’s Association (CCA) All-Atlantic Region Team this past week. The Atlantic Region contains all of the schools in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), the Mountain East Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
Senior Ryan Lutke on the men’s team and junior Dara Demich on the women’s team were both given first team All-Region honors. Junior Sam Thornton on the women’s team was one of four defenders named to the second team.
Several more athletes were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Region team. Lutke and fellow senior Ryan Boyland earned spots on the first team while Ryan’s twin brother, Peter Boyland, landed on the second team.
Lutke started in all 20 games for The Green and White this season, scoring eight goals and tallying two assists. Lutke also notched three game-winning goals and was a perfect 5-5 on penalty shot attempts. his eight goals and 18 points both ranked second on the team. Lutke also recently received his first all conference honor, being voted onto the first team All-PSAC squad.
Ryan Boyland started 19 games for the Rock and was a key part of a defense that only allowed 20 goals on the season and posted eight shutouts.
Peter Boyland started in 16 games and ranked second in the conference with seven assists. Peter Boyland also scored the game-winning-goal in the PSAC Championship game against Millersville and was named the PSAC tournament MVP.
Lutke and the Boylands add yet another accomplishment to their already decorated collegiate careers. They made appearances in three PSAC title games, were parts of teams that won two PSAC championships and made one NCAA national tournament appearance.
Demich had a breakout season for the women’s team, starting in all 20 games while scoring a team-high 12 goals and 27 points. Demich ranked second in the conference for goals and third in points in route to earning her first team All-PSAC selection.
Thornton started 19 of 20 games and earned second team All-PSAC honors. Thornton was a part of a Rock defense that allowed only 15 goals on the season, third fewest in the conference.
The CCA All-Region team is nominated and selected by votes from all the sports information directors for each school in the region. Lutke and Demich look to join cross-country sophomore Jeremy Parsons as SRU All-Americans as they will now be voted on in the CCA All-American ballot. CCA All-American selections will be named on Dec. 9.
