Nov. 5, 2009

Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate goalkeeper Pat Regna turned in one of the top performances of the year in the A-Sun in 2009. His extraordinary efforts for the Spartans were rewarded with an all-conference selection from the league as the A-Sun announced its posteason honors Thursday.

"Pat obviously is very deserving of this recognition," said Upstate head coach Greg Hooks. "He single-handedly allowed us to be more competitive this year. He kept us in games and gave us a chance to win. When we recruited him, we hoped he would be able to come in here and do great things for us. He certainly has done that."

Regna, a senior from Rochester, N.Y., earned second team all-conference honors from the A-Sun. He is the second Upstate men's soccer player to earn all-conference honors from the A-Sun, joining 2007 second team all-league pick Troy Simon on the list. Regna was named the A-Sun Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28 after leading the Spartans to back-to-back wins over Georgia Southern and Presbyterian. He also earned national weekly honors the same week as a member of Goal.com's Team of the Week.

Regna was clearly one of the top goalkeepers in the A-Sun this season. He led the conference with 105 saves and 6.18 saves per game, while ranking second with a .795 save percentage and fifth with a 1.51 goals against average. He played every second in goal for Upstate this season and led the Spartans to their first Division I shutout in a 0-0 tie at A-Sun foe East Tennessee State. His five goalkeeper wins set a new single-season school record in the Division I era, as did his six overall victories in his career.

Regna had a flare for the dramatic, making extraordinary diving, leaping or lunging saves look routine this season. His play nearly single-handedly allowed Upstate to win or stay in matches throughout the year. His play was the main reason why the Spartans cut their goals allowed total from 50 last year to 27 this season.

2009 A-Sun All-Conference Team
First Team: GK - Scott Roseman, ETSU; D - Robert Hodge, Stetson; D - Matthew Hollyoak, North Florida; D - Eddie Munnelly, Jacksonville; M - Fredrik Brustad, Stetson; M - Ian Cameron, Mercer; M - Vince Petrasso, Campbell; M - Stefan Runeman, Jacksonville; F - Miguel DaSilva, Lipscomb; Griffin Gilstrap, Stetson; Kevin Munz, Stetson.
Second Team: GK - Pat Regna, Upstate; GK - Matthew Smith, Florida Gulf Coast; D - Kezi Lara, Lipscomb; D - Justin Madrid, Campbell; D - Matthew O'Shaughnessy, Florida Gulf Coast; D - Guilheme Reis, ETSU; M - Mitchell Cardenas, Campbell; M - Sean hoek, ETSU; Cristian Raudales, Florida Gulf Coast; F - Khalil Johnson, Campbell; F - Adam O'Neill, North Florida; F - Brandon Tarr, Belmont; F - Aaron Schoenfeld, ETSU.
All-Freshman Team: Mitchell Cardenas, Campbell; Davide Faga, Jacksonville; Jonathan Mendoza, Stetson; Alesi Osorio, ETSU; Brett petricek, Mercer; Brandon Tarr, Belmont; Filip Terland, Jacksonville; Keegan Terry, Campbell; Justin Smith, Campbell; Westin Vallentine, Florida Gulf Coast; Jeremy Vollmer, Florida Gulf Coast; Theo Yang, ETSU.

Player of the Year: Vince Petrasso, Campbell
Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Hodge, Stetson
Coach of the Year: Doug Hess, Campbell
Freshman of the Year: Brandon Tarr, Belmont