November 10, 2011
TWO-FOR-TWO
Foster CAA top defensive player again

HARRISONBURG, VA. – Hofstra sophomore defender Shaun Foster (Southport, England) was named the Colonial Athletic Association defensive player of the year for the second consecutive season, while classmate Chris Griebsch (Dessau-Rosslau, Germany) was a third team All-CAA selection.

Those awards were announced at the CAA Championship Awards Banquet on the eve of the quarterfinals of the CAA Men’s Soccer Championship on Wednesday night.

Delaware senior forward Evans Frimpong was selected as the CAA men’s soccer player of the year, while Blue Hen sophomore forward Roberto Gimenez was named the CAA rookie of the year and James Madison’s Tom Martin was voted as CAA coach of the year. The awards were voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Foster is the third player in CAA history to receive defensive player of the Year honors two times and just the second to win it in back-to-back years. The sophomore anchored a Hofstra back line that recorded four shutouts this season. Foster also contributed offensively, leading the Pride with five goals and ranking second on the team with 11 points. Foster also was a first team All-CAA selection.

Griebsch, a midfielder, led the Pride in scoring for the second straight season as he posted four goals and 10 assists for 18 points. He is the first Pride player to reach double digit assists in a season since Patrick Geraghty had 12 in 2001. He currently ranks first in the CAA in assists and is 10th in overall points.

Frimpong was tied for second in the CAA with 27 points and 11 goals this season. He also contributed five assists and is the first Delaware player to ever receive CAA Player of the Year honors. Gimenez is also tied for second in the CAA with 27 points. The sophomore forward was fifth in the conference with 10 goals and tied for third in assists with seven.

Martin was honored as the CAA coach of the year for the fifth time after guiding James Madison to its first CAA regular-season title since 2000 with an 8-3 league mark. The Dukes won 10 of their 11 matches from Sept. 17 to Oct. 26 and posted shutouts in seven of them. JMU is 12-4-1 overall, matching its most victories since 2005, and the Dukes were a perfect 9-0 at home. The Dukes are ranked among the top 25 in several national polls.

Hofstra finished the season with a 7-10-1 record and was 4-7 in the CAA.