DeLand, Fla. - Sophomore midfielder Fredrik Brustad (Oslo, Norway), senior defender Robert Hodge (Devon, England) and senior forward Kevin Munz (Jupiter, Fla.) of the Stetson men's soccer team earned National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCAA) All-South Region honors, it was announced Wednesday. Brustad and Hodge were named to the Second Team while Munz was selected to the Third Team. All three were key contributors for the Atlantic Sun Conference champion Hatters and led the team to a program-record 14 wins and its second NCAA Tournament appearance. This season is also the first in school history to feature three All-Region honorees.
Brustad tallied seven goals and four assists to rank third on the team with 18 points this season. His seven goals were second among all Hatters while he tied for second in assists and game-winning goals (two). Brustad also holds the honor of being the first Stetson player in school history to score a goal in the NCAA Tournament as his eighth-minute tally at USF gave Stetson an early lead against the Bulls in its first round match. A First Team All-Atlantic Sun selection, he earned October 19 A-Sun Offensive Player of the Week honors as well for scoring two goals that netted the Hatters four points in a weekend trip to USC Upstate and ETSU.
Hodge recorded three goals and three assists while anchoring the Stetson back line, earning A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week honors for September 14. The league's coaches voted him the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 as well as granting him a place on the All-Atlantic Sun First Team. The DPOY award was the first for a Hatter in program history. Hodge was also named to the NSCAA All-South Third Team as a junior in 2008.
Munz scored six goals and handed out a team-leading 10 assists to finish second on the Hatters with 22 points. The 10 assists are tied for fourth on the all-time Stetson single-season list; Munz is the first Hatter since Joe Fitzpatrick in 2001 to reach double figures. He earned the A-Sun Offensive Player of the Week award for October 12 after torching conference rivals Lipscomb and Belmont to the tune of four goals in two Stetson victories. Munz was a First Team All-Atlantic Sun honoree by the league's coaches.
Six A-Sun players in total reached the All-Region list as UNF defender Matthew Hollyoak and Campbell midfielder Vince Petrasso were named to the Second Team and Mercer midfielder Ian Cameron made the Third Team.
Stetson finished the 2009 season 14-4-2 overall and 6-2-1 in A-Sun action, capturing the A-Sun tournament title and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. It was the program's third straight winning season and broke a 20-year old mark for victories in a season (13 in 1989).
