ERIE, Pa. – Penn State Behrend men's soccer senior Andrew Mastovich (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) was named the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) Defensive Player of the Year and joined seven other Lions on the All-AMCC Team, announced on Tuesday.
Mastovich, also the 2019 Defensive Preseason Player of the Year, was named to the first team along with junior forward Richard Blanchard (Erie, PA/Cathedral Prep), senior midfielder Aaron Harris (Washington, PA/McGuffey) and senior goalkeeper Matt Warnaka (Beaver Falls, PA/Blachhawk).
Junior midfielder Christian Eckberg (North Huntingdon, PA/Norwin) and senior defender Nick Schwarzel (South Park, PA/South Park) were selected to the second team, while junior forward Michael DiCola (Beaver, PA/Beaver Area) and junior defender Nick Shideler (Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland) earned third-team honors.
Mastovich has been named to the All-Conference team three years in a row, including back-to-back first-team accolades. He started every game this season and helped the Lions record 10 shutouts on the season. Mastovich was instrumental in only allowing five goals in the 10 AMCC contests and 12 overall. The senior defender has three goals on the season for six points, netting the game winner in a 2-1 win over national-ranked Mt. Union in overtime.
Blanchard gets his first nod on the All-AMCC first team after earning third-team honors his first two seasons. The junior leads the team with 13 goals and 13 assists for 39 points. Blanchard registered six goals and six assists in the 10 conference games for 18 points. He is first the AMCC in overall assists and is third in points. Blanchard contributed to the offense in all but six games, registering at least a point in 14 contests. He has scored five game-winning goals, including both in the AMCC Tournament. Blanchard netted the game winner in the AMCC Championship off a penalty kick in the 76th minute.
Harris completes his career as a four-time All-AMCC selection. He has been named to the first team the last three years for his play in the midfield for the Lions. The senior captain ranks second on the team with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. Harris has been instrumental in helping Behrend outscore its opponents 64-12 this season, including 41-5 against AMCC teams.
Warnaka is receiving his first All-AMCC honors on the first team to cap his career. He produced an 18-1 record in goal for the Lions and led the AMCC with a 0.71 goals-against average. Warnaka started in all but one game in goal, making 40 saves and posting a .755 save percentage on the season. He only allowed 13 goals which lead the Lions to 10 shutouts, five of which came in AMCC play. Warnaka tallied a career-high eight saves to help Behrend capture the AMCC title.
Eckberg is a three-time All-AMCC selection and is making his second appearance on the second team. The junior defensive midfielder started every game this season and tallied two goals and one assist for five points. Both goals were game winners against La Roche and Pitt-Greensburg. He registers nearly 90 minutes in the majority of the games and helped keep opponents off the scoreboard this season.
Schwarzel joins Eckberg, Blanchard and Mastovich as a three-time All-AMCC choice. He landed on the second team back-to-back seasons for anchoring a defense that is top in the conference. Schwarzel started every game, scoring eight goals and dishing out one assist on the season. The senior captain netted three game winning goals on the season, all of which came against AMCC opponents. Schwarzel also led the team and the AMCC with a 5-for-7 showing on penalty kicks. His contributions on both sides of the ball guided Penn State Behrend to a 19-1 record.
DiCola and Shideler pick up their first All-AMCC accolades this season on the third team. Dicola and Shideler each started all 20 games for the Lions. DiCola contributed six goals and five assists for 17 points. He also registered three points against Mt. St. Vincent and Pitt-Greensburg. Shideler was one of the four defenders that allowed only 12 goals against, five of which came in AMCC games while shutting out opponents 10 times on the year.
