Dec. 2, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the first time in the history of the Notre Dame men’s soccer program, the Fighting Irish have placed two names on the NSCAA/adidas All-America First Team in the same season. Senior midfielder Greg Dalby (Poway, Calif./Poway) and junior forward Joseph Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic) have been selected as first-team All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The Notre Dame duo is the only twosome from the same school on the 12-man squad. They are also part of the six BIG EAST student-athletes on the first team. Joining them from the league are West Virginia goalkeeper Nick Noble, Connecticut defender Julius James, Providence midfielder Ryan Maduro and Cincinnati forward Omar Cummings.
This marks the second straight season in which Dalby has garnered first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America honors. He is the only Notre Dame men’s soccer player ever to have that distinction. The Irish co-captain started all 23 games during the 2006 campaign. He was tabbed as the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year along with being a unanimous first-team all-conference pick. Dalby, who was also a first-team All-American last year according to Soccer Times and College Soccer News, registered two goals this season.
Lapira becomes the sixth All-American in program history and just the third named to the NSCAA /adidas first team, joining Dalby and goalkeeper Chris Sawyer (2004). The junior forward is a 2006 M.A.C. Hermann Trophy finalist and leads all NCAA Division I men’s soccer players with 50 points and 22 goals. He took home BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors and joined Dalby as a unanimous choice on the all-BIG EAST first team. He appeared in all 23 matches this season, making 20 starts. Lapira notched 11 game-winners, including two in this year’s NCAA Tournament to help lead the Fighting Irish into the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
Joseph Lapira becomes the sixth All-American in the history of the Notre Dame program.
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Rounding out the NSCAA/adidas All-America First Team are Andrew Boyens (D, New Mexico), Jay Needham (D, SMU), John O’Reilly (D, Lehigh), Maurice Edu (M, Maryland), Charlie Davies (F, Boston College) and Edson Elcock (F, Old Dominion).
New names were the order of the day with the 2006 NCAA Division I Men’s NSCAA/adidas All-America team, with only seven players among the 37 (from all three All-America teams) selected making a repeat appearance on the squad. Scott Jones, a midfielder from UNC-Greensboro, claimed his third award to lead the group. First-team repeaters included Dalby, James and Boyens. Rounding out the list were second-team selections Tally Hall of San Diego State, Andy Iro of UC Santa Barbara and Sinisa Ubiparipovic of Akron. The team also reflected the parity of Division I men’s competition, with 31 schools represented among the 37 players. Only six schools had two players recognized: Lehigh, Maryland, Notre Dame, SMU, UC Santa Barbara and West Virginia.
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