Nov. 2, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame junior forward Joseph Lapira has been named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Year in men’s soccer. His senior teammate Greg Dalby has been tabbed as the league’s Midfielder of the Year. They become the first players in the history of the Fighting Irish program to win those respective honors. Also taking all-BIG EAST accolades from Notre Dame were goalkeeper Chris Cahill and defenders Matt Besler and Jack Traynor.
Lapira (Lake Charles, La./Saint Louis Catholic) and Dalby (Poway, Calif/Poway) were unanimous all-BIG EAST first-team selections, while Besler (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley West), a sophomore, was a second-team choice. The senior Cahill garnered third-team honors, while Traynor, a sophomore, collected honorable mention distinction for the 12th-ranked Irish.
Lapira leads the nation in goals with 20 and points with 45. He has been in the top five in scoring nationally all season and is currently averaging 2.25 points per game, which ranks third. The Louisiana native was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Week on three occasions this season. Lapira was a third-team all-BIG EAST performer last season as he led the Irish with 19 points on seven goals and five assists.
The junior forward has tallied seven multiple-goal games this season. He had a seven-game goal streak at one point, which included a stretch of five straight two-goal efforts. His season-high performance was a four-goal display in a 5-4 overtime win at No. 8 Indiana. Lapira has been named the National Player of the Week twice by College Soccer News, Top Drawer Soccer and Soccer Times and received the honor once from Soccer America.
Prior to this season only two Irish players had ever garnered player of the year honors from the BIG EAST. Chris Sawyer was named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 2003 and 2004, while Jack Stewart took home Defensive Player of the Year accolade in 2004.
Dalby has copped all-BIG EAST honors each of the past three seasons. This marked the second straight year that Dalby was a first-team choice. He also garnered first-team All-America honors last season from NSCAA, Soccer Times and College Soccer News and has been named to the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy ‘Watch List’ each of the past two seasons. This season he has tallied four points on two goals, while starting all 20 matches.
Cahill collected his first all-BIG EAST postseason honor by registering impressive numbers so far this season. The senior has started 17 matches, posting 10 shutouts and carries an 12-4-1 record. His. 0.74 goals-against average ranks 20th nationally. Cahill was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 2.
Both Besler and Traynor have been valuable components in a stout Irish defense all season long. Notre Dame has allowed just 0.77 goals per game, which ranks 21st in the nation, to go along with 11 shutouts. The sophomore duo has started all 20 games to help the Irish to their current mark of 13-5-2. They have spearheaded a defensive charge that has posted shutouts in seven of the last 10 matches and carries an overall shutout percentage of 0.55, which ranks 16th nationally.
Connecticut junior Julius James was tabbed as the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, while his freshman teammate Toni Stahl was selected as the Rookie of the Year. West Virginia also copped two honors as senior Nick Noble was named the Goalkeeper of the Year and Mountaineer head coach Marlon LeBlanc and his staff took the Coaching Staff of the Year.