Men’s Soccer Places Six on All-Centennial Team; Eric Wagner Named Coach of the Year

LANCASTER, Pa. - Four members of the Swarthmore College men's soccer team – senior John Pontillo, junior Peter Maxted, junior Jack Momeyer and sophomore Michael Stewart - have been named to the All-Centennial Conference First Team, while junior Noah Sterngold was named to the Second Team and junior Cameron French was named an Honorable Mention selection, the conference announced on Thursday morning. In addition, head coach Eric Wagner was named Coach of the Year. The All-Centennial teams were announced Thursday morning from the conference office.

The four first-team selections are a program best, and the most of any team in the conference this year. Sterngold is a repeat selection to the second team, while Pontillo, Maxted, Momeyer, Stewart and French are all first time All-Centennial selections. Wagner is Coach of the Year for the second time in his Swarthmore career, having previously won the honor in 2008.

Senior captain Pontillo (Moorestown, N.J. / Moorestown) was a top defender for a Garnet defense that allowed just 0.59 goals per game. Despite missing time to injury, he was the heart and soul of a program that performed visibly better with him on the field.

Maxted (Port Washington, N.Y. / Paul Schreiber) won the starting goalkeeper spot early in the season and never looked back, recording four shutouts and allowing just eight goals all season for an .867 save percentage and a goals-against average of 0.52, numbers which led the Centennial Conference. Maxted's GAA ranks sixth in program history.

Momeyer (New York, N.Y. / UNIS), a junior captain, helped to cement the Garnet's strong midfield. He recorded seven assists, tied for first in the conference and third in program history, to go along with scoring five goals.

Stewart (Philadelphia, Pa. / The Shipley School) led the potent Swarthmore offense that scored 1.87 goals per game. His 12 goals, including five game-winners, rank third in the conference and tie for eighth in program history.

Sterngold (Muncy, Pa. / Muncy), a junior captain and second team selection in 2011, played impressively in the midfield all season. He recorded five assists, tied for fifth in the Centennial Conference.

French (Salem, Ore. / South Salem) was a rock in the Garnet defense, and contributed two goals and two assists on set pieces as well.

Swarthmore hosts the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday and Sunday. The Garnet will take on Albertus Magnus in the first Saturday game at 5:00 p.m. That game, and all NCAA games from Clothier Field Stadium, can be viewed live on the Garnet Sports Network.