AMHERST, Massachusetts -- Tim Christian (Agawam, MA), a senior co-captain of the Amherst College men's soccer team, was named to the Division III All-America Second Team as selected by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) and co-sponsored by Umbro. The midfielder is among the nation's 37 best Division III players representing 30 colleges and universities.
Christian concluded his collegiate soccer career in the program's first-ever NCAA Final Four and finest showing in its 77-year history. The senior led the Jeffs with his steady midfield play that generated a team-leading eight tallies in the regular season, including a pair of two-goal games. Christian added four assists in the NCAA Tournament, feeding junior Matt Diggs (Seattle, WA) for all three of his post-season scores. He wrapped up the season by setting up sophomore Andy Kay (North Easton, MA) for Amherst's final goal in the national semifinals against defending champion College of New Jersey. Christian will graduate with 17 goals and 17 assists in his collegiate career as a two-time New England All-Star.
The midfielder entered Amherst as a high school All-American out of Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Christian exploded in his rookie campaign, leading the Jeffs with four goals and four assists, followed up with a two goal-six assist showing in his first trip to the NCAAs as a sophomore. Amherst advanced to the 1995 New England Finals before falling to eventual national champ Williams.
1997 Amherst men's soccer jumped out to a 7-0-1 start under the renewed direction of Peter Gooding, who had returned to coaching after a seven-year hiatus. Maintaining a No. 1 ranking in New England for three straight weeks, the Jeffs peaked at fourth in the country, the highest placement any men's soccer team has earned at Amherst College and where they will begin the 1998 season. Despite dropping four games in a five-match span, the Jeffs rebounded in their regular season finale with a 2-1 overtime victory at archrival Williams to propel them into their third-ever NCAA Tournament.
The Jeffs survived a first-round quadruple overtime thriller against Middlebury before earning their first-ever NCAA victory with a 2-0 blanking of Bowdoin on a pair of Christian assists. Reaching Amherst's third New England Championship game, Christian was the key link in the midfield for a 3-2 upset of Plymouth State. The Jeffs handled Ithaca with a 2-0 win in their first trip out of the New England Region before falling 2-1 to two late-game goals in the Final Four. Amherst finished the 1997 campaign with a 12-5-2 record and the most wins in a single season in a record-setting 19 games.
Pos Name Yr School Hometown First Team GK Dan Welch Sr Macalester St. Paul, MN D Greg Classen Sr Williams Ballston Lake, NY D Lance Key So Trinity San Antonio, TX D Bradley Myers So Otterbein Columbus, OH M Dan Collins Sr Greensboro Morrisville, PA M Jaime Ramirez* Sr Trinity Carrizo Springs, TX M Gregory Stevcic Sr Gettysburg Medford, NJ F Eric Brown So Wheaton (IL) Wheaton, IL F Jason Cairns** Sr College of New Jersey Brick, NJ F Kirk Dietrich Sr Rochester Cleveland Heights, OH F Robert Mauw So Wheaton (IL) Glen Ellyn, IL Second Team GK Graham Nelson Sr Colby North Andover, MA D Matt Albrecht Jr Fredonia Buffalo, NY D Shane Greene Sr Roanoke Salem, VA D Derek Schroll* Sr Greensboro Shillington, PA M Tim Christian Sr Amherst Agawam, MA M Craig Gillan Sr Mary Washington Kennett Square, PA M Armin Heuberger Jr Macalester St. Paul, MN M Dan Pucci* Sr Babson Boxford, MA F Matt Adler So Tufts Princeton, NJ F Richie Eger Sr Kean Rahway, NJ F Mitshel Lavender Sr Ithaca Lima, Peru F Kelsey Olds* Jr Kenyon Minneapolis, MN F Brett Scaccia Sr Plymouth State Stratham, NH Third Team G Jeremy Kirchner Sr Messiah Medford, NJ D Edwin Astudillo Sr Cal Lutheran Thousand Oaks, CA D David DeCew Jr Bowdoin Newton, MA D Daniel Katz* Sr Ithaca Potomac, MD M Jeff Bateson Sr Alma Midland, MI M Gary DePalma Sr Virginia Wesleyan Pittsburgh, PA M Jim Manganello Jr Wheaton (MA) Duxbury, MA M Jason Webb Sr Messiah Camphill, PA F Franco Bari Sr St. Lawrence Rochester, NY F Michael Domm* Sr Fredonia Rochester, NY F Luan Lai Sr Claremont-Mudd Westminster, CA F Dan Morlan Sr Colorado College Lake Oswego, OR F Greg Rheinheimer Jr Washington University St. Louis, MO Each * indicates previous appearances on All-America Team # # # 12/12/97