Annville, PA – On the same day Messiah College men's soccer will begin defending their five-straight conference championships, the Commonwealth Conference honored the Falcons with eight All-Commonwealth awards. Sophomore Jeremy Payne headlined the honors, as he was named the Commonwealth Player of the Year.
 
Classmates Carter Robbins, Jack Thompson, and Brian Ramirez joined Payne on First Team, with senior Logan Thompson, junior Joshua Wood, and sophomore Mike Kovach being elected to Second Team All-Commonwealth. Sophomore keeper Brandon West was named Honorable Mention.
 
Payne's conference Player of the Year award is the nineteenth in the Falcons' history. Across nine games played in the Commonwealth this year, Payne was second in both goals scored (8) and assists (6). His 22 total points was first among league players, four more than Cam Alexander of Lebanon Valley. A powerful and dynamic forward for Messiah, Payne was also tied for first with three game-winning goals in the Commonwealth.
 
His conference honors are the first of his career.
 
Jack Thompon's First Team honor is the second of his career following his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2011. Thompson was third in the conference with 17 total points. He led the Commonwealth with nine assists across nine games.
 
For both Robbins and Ramirez, the First Team elections are their first conference honors of any kind. Ramirez managed four goals as a midfielder for Messiah, with his athletic and skillful play on both sides of the field proving invaluable for the Falcons. Robbins has been an anchor for Messiah's imposing defense, as the Falcons were ranked first in the conference in goals allowed (4), goals against average (0.44), and shutouts (5).
 
Of the three Falcons named to the Second Team, only Wood is a repeat honoree. Following Rookie of the Year and First Team honors in 2009, Wood has returned from two injury-plagued years to again become a dangerous weapon for Messiah. He scored five goals and collected six assists in league play this season, good for fourth in total points (16).
 
Mike Kovach was just behind Wood in total points (14) in league play, as he joins Payne, J. Thompson, and Wood as the fourth Falcon in the top five scorers of the Commonwealth (Cam Alexander, LVC).  Logan Thompson, like Robbins, was a standout defender that contributed to Messiah's 3^rd-ranked goals against average (0.33) in the entire nation.
 
The last line of that defense, keeper Brandon West, also makes his first appearance in the All-Commonwealth teams. West led the conference with a .833 save percentage, and he was personally first with a minuscule 0.28 goals against average.
 
Messiah's eight All-Commonwealth honors are the most since their program-record 10 elections in 2006.
 
Cam Alexander was named Rookie of the Year, as the LVC freshman was awarded for collecting a second-best 18 points in the conference this season. Elizabethtown head coach Skip Roderick was named Coach of the Year, as the Blue Jays finished second in the conference behind Messiah with a 7-1-1 record. Elizabethtown finished with a 4-3 conference record in 2011.

Below is a listing of the entire All-Commonwealth selections for men's soccer.

Note: With the addition of Hood College and Stevenson University in 2012-13, the Commonwealth Conference has added an Honorable Mention team to the All-Conference awards. These are players who received more than one vote for a First or Second Team honor, but were not selected to either of those teams.

First Team All-Commonwealth
DEF	Martin Fevre	Elizabethtown	FR	Chablis, France / Lycee Jean-Marc Boilvin
DEF	Kelly Hess	Lebanon Valley	SR	Shippensburg, PA / Shippensburg
DEF	Carter Robbins	Messiah	SO	Randleman, NC / Weslyean Christian Academy
FWD	Tyler Waters	Albright	JR	Pottstown, PA / Pottsgrove
FWD	Cam Alexander	Lebanon Valley	FR	Boiling Springs, PA / Cumberland Valley
FWD	Jack Thompson	Messiah	SO	hudson, OH / Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
GK	Ryan Lantzy	Arcadia	JR	Phoenixville, PA / Phoenixville
MID	Eric Diehl	Hood	JR	Gaithersburg, MD / Damascus
MID	Brian Ramirez	Messiah	So	San Cristobal, Guatemala / Homeschool
MID	Jeremy Payne	Messiah	So	Middleburg, PA / Midd-West
MID	Christopher Panian	Stevenson	JR	Monkton, MD / John Carroll
.
Second Team All-Commonwealth
DEF	Zach Todd	Arcadia	SR	Cape May Courthouse, NJ / Middle Twp.
DEF	Kyle Volk	Elizabethtown	JR	Bear, DE / St. Elizabeth
DEF	Logan Thompson	Messiah	SR	hudson, OH / Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy
FWD	Ross Withrow	Elizabethtown	SR	Newark, DE / St. Mark's
FWD	Joshua Wood	Messiah	JR	Kinsport, TN / Sullivan South
FWD	Mike Kovach	Messiah	SO	Odenton, MD / Arundel
GK	Ben Diller	Alvernia	SR	Etters, PA / Red Land
MID	Shawn Murphy	Albright	JR	Morgantown, PA / Twin Valley
MID	Joe Raymond	Alvernia	SO	Media, PA / Strath Haven
MID	Stephen Simonian	Lebanon Valley	SR	Wallingford, PA / Strath Haven
MID	DJ DiPaola	Widener	SR	Havertown, PA / Haverford
.
Honorable Mention All-Commonwealth
DEF	Nate Swarr	Alvernia	SR	Quarryville, PA / Solanco
DEF	Tyler Reinoehl	Alvernia	SO	Sinking Spring, PA, Wilson
DEF	Kevin Martin	Widener	SR	Havertown, PA / Haverford
FWD	Kyle Martyn	Alvernia	SR	Media, PA, Penncrest
FWD	Nick Morris	Arcadia	JR	Philadelphia, PA / Father Judge
FWD	Troy Czapor	Widener	SO	Richboro, PA / Council Rock South
GK	Eric Carr	Elizabethtown	SR	Phoenixville, PA / Phoenixville
GK	Brandon West	Messiah	SO	East Hampton, NY / East Hampton
MID	Alex Wells	Arcadia	SO	Hockessia, DE / Charter school of Wilmington
MID	Dylan Sisler	Elizabethtown	SO	Newark, DE / Charter School of Wilmington
MID	Matt Snively	Lycoming	SR	Hollywood, MD / Leonardtown
MID	Tori Remondelli	Widener	FR	Point Pleasant, NJ / Point Pleasant
.
Player of the Year
MID	Jeremy Payne	Messiah	SO	Middleburg, PA / Midd-West
.
Rookie of the Year
FWD	Cam Alexander	Lebanon Valley	FR	Boiling Springs, PA / Cumberland Valley
.
Coach of the Year
	Skip Roderick	Elizabethtown

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