Nov. 21, 2011
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The San Diego State men's soccer team has nine players on the 2011 Pac-12 Conference All-Academic team, the league announced Monday. The nine selections are tied for the second most in the conference.
Sophomore Kody Duff (Roseville, Calif.), redshirt sophomore Morgan Sacco (Greeley, Colo.) and sophomore Sean Zaher (Las Vegas, Nev.) were each named to the second team, while senior Daniel Steres (Calabasas, Calif.), junior Jose Altamirano (San Diego/Southwest HS), redshirt junior Chance Marden (Fremont, Calif.), redshirt sophomore John Pegg (Edmonton, Alberta), sophomore Casey Meuser (Granite Bay, Calif.) and redshirt freshman Anthony Gooch (Santa Cruz, Calif.) were honorable mention picks.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter of significant contributor.
Duff, an art applied design major with a 3.63 GPA, had two assists in 16 matches this season. The midfielder attempted eight shots and logged 421 minutes.
Sacco, who redshirted last season, owns a 3.57 GPA and is a business administration major. A midfielder, Sacco played in 15 games with two starts to his credit, registering one assist in 490 minutes.
Zaher, a political science major with a 3.60 GPA, logged playing time in nine games. He had one shot, which was on goal, and played 286 minutes as a midfielder.
Steres, a three-time all-Pac-12 pick, including a first-team selection this season, earned honorable mention all-academic honors for the second time in his career (also 2009). A business administration (finance) major with a 3.00 GPA, the co-captain started all 19 matches this year and ranked in a tie for second on the team with 13 points on five goals and five assists, despite playing in the back.
Altamirano, a three-time all-league selection and 2010 first-team All-Academic pick, owns a 3.00 GPA and is a criminal justice major. The midfielder was one of three players to start all 19 games for the Aztecs this season, registering nine points on three goals and three assists.
Marden, a business administration (management) major with a 3.33 GPA, played in 11 matches in 2011. He had two assists and three shots over 158 minutes, mostly in the midfield.
Pegg, a midfielder who redshirted last year, started 17 of his 18 appearances for SDSU and finished the season with five points on two goals and an assist. Pegg, who played 1,113 minutes in his first season on Montezuma Road, is a history major with a 3.00 GPA.
Meuser, a business administration (marketing) major with a 3.16 GPA, has started all 38 matches since he arrived to San Diego State in 2010. This year, Meuser had four points on a goal and two assists. The defender played 1,750 minutes, the second most on the squad.
Gooch, who also redshirted last season, is a kinesiology (fitness nutrition specialist) major with a 3.40 GPA. Gooch played 271 minutes this year over 11 matches, firing two shots from the back and in the midfield.
The Aztecs finished the season with a 10-6-3 record for their first back-to-back double-digit win seasons since 1991-92.
2011 Pac-12 Conference All-Academic Teams (SDSU players only)
Second Team
Kody Duff, MF, So.
Morgan Sacco, MF, RS-So.
Sean Zaher, MF, So.
Honorable Mention
Jose Altamirano, MF, Jr.
Anthony Gooch, D, RS-Fr.
Chance Marden, MF, RS-Jr.
Casey Meuser, D, So.
John Pegg, MD, RS-So.
Daniel Steres, D, Sr.