Charlie Reiter
Reiter Named SoCon Men's Soccer Player of the Year; Caskey Earns Second All-SoCon First Team Honor
11/12/2009 11:43:41 AM | Men's Soccer
Brian McGue Named To All-Freshman Team
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After leading the conference and ranking among the nation's best in scoring, Davidson senior Charlie Reiter was voted the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year by the league's coaches. Junior Alex Caskey joined Reiter on the all-conference first team, while freshman Brian McGue was named to the all-freshman team.
Reiter becomes the sixth Wildcat to win the honor, and the first since Robert Clarke in 1995. While Reiter earned his first all-conference selection, Caskey was named to the first team for the second consecutive season. The duo helped lead the 'Cats to an 11-7 record and their first national ranking (No. 21 by Soccer America) since 2005 with two wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
“We are thrilled for Charlie,” said head coach Matt Spear. “It's great the other SoCon coaches recognized and highlighted his awesome impact this season.”
Hailing from Westport, Conn., Reiter enjoyed a breakout season after moving up to forward from the midfield. Scoring 12 goals and eight assists for 32 points after starting all 18 matches, Reiter was among the national leaders on offense. He ranked as high as sixth in points per game midway through the season and ranks ninth (1.78) in the category through games played Nov. 8. Reiter also ranks 13th in goals per game (0.67) and 29th in assists per game (0.44). His scoring total is the best single-season mark for a Davidson player since Chris Norbet scored 42 points (19g, 4a) in 2001. Reiter played in every single match the past four years, starting 48 of 77 matches.
“His stats were prolific, and a major factor why we doubled our total goals and almost tripled our wins from the previous 2008 season,” said Spear.
Reiter's season included many highlights. He was named the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week for all games played Sept. 29-Oct. 5 after tallying five points (two goals, one assist) in conference wins over College of Charleston (3-2 OT) and Georgia Southern (3-0). Reiter also scored in Davidson's 4-1 win over then-No. 6 Duke (Oct. 6). Reiter amassed a nine-game scoring streak from Sept. 13-Oct. 10 in which he scored 21 points (7g, 7a) and finished the season with four game-winning goals. In his final collegiate game, Reiter scored a career-best three goals and one assist to lead Davidson to a 5-2 win over the Atlantic Sun conference regular season champions, Campbell.
Reiter has been just as successful in the classroom. He was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team for District 3 (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) on Oct. 29 and is now a candidate for the Academic All-America team to be announced on Nov. 18. Majoring in political science with a 3.48 grade point average, Reiter is a two-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection, a member of the Davidson Scholars program, and was a member of Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
“As a member of the Davidson Scholar Honors program, Charlie is a tremendous student with one of the highest GPA's on the team,” said Spear. “Charlie is very smart, very competitive, very focused and very talented – those ingredients are duly celebrated by this honor.”
A native of Dunwoody, Ga., Caskey was elected as a team tri-captain for the 2009 season by his teammates. Caskey was among the national leaders in scoring and drew both national and conference honors in September. He led the Wildcats with six goals in eight contests during the month, and had a career night in a 4-1 win over then-No. 25 South Carolina. Caskey scored two goals (including the game-winner) and an assist to lead the 'Cats past the Gamecocks. The performance earned him a place on the Soccer America Men's Team of the Week, and he was also named the Southern Conference Player of the Week. Caskey capped the month by scoring on an overtime penalty kick in the conference-opener against College of Charleston and was named the SoCon Men's Soccer Player of the Month.
“Alex is a talent for whom the other SoCon coaches have tons of respect and admiration,” said Spear. “This season he continued his growth to become even stronger, and our winning form owes a lot to his play. Leading the SoCon for goals scored by a midfielder underlines the fact that he's becoming more effective. I can't wait for next fall, because he's going to be an even greater threat to opponents.”
Caskey finished the season with seven goals and two assists for 16 points, also tallying a goal against No. 2 Wake Forest. Anchoring the midfield, he only saw rest in two matches, playing all but 20 minutes of the season. In 2008, Caskey was Davidson's first first-team all-conference selection since All-American John Latting in 2005.
McGue joined Caskey in the midfield during his rookie season. The Dublin, Ohio native saw action in 15 games, earning 14 starts. McGue's best game came against then-No. 6 Duke, as he scored the first goal of the match by heading in a corner kick from Reiter. The 'Cats went on to win 4-1 to earn their second win over a nationally-ranked opponent, a feat not accomplished since 2004.
“Brian made a big impact in his first college soccer season,” said Spear. “His ability to transition to the speed of play and physical demands of central midfield as a freshman were remarkable and exceeded our expectations.”
Wofford's Ralph Polson was selected as the league's Coach of the Year after guiding the Terriers to their first regular season title, while Elon's Chris Thomas was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Wofford and Elon earned the most all-conference selections with six each.
As a team the Wildcats finished with 37 goals scored, their highest total since 2004 when they scored 37 in 22 games, and more than twice as many as they scored the previous season (18). The 'Cats rank 10th in the nation in scoring with 2.06 goals per game in games played through Nov. 8. Davidson also held the conference's second-leading scorer in junior Yannick Pilgrim (Arima Trinidad & Tobago), who totaled 20 points on seven goals and six assists.
Davidson will look to continue their success in 2010 with the continued support of their fans. The 'Cats led the SoCon during the regular season in attendance with a total of 8,054 at Alumni Stadium.
2009 All-Southern Conference
First Team
F Matt Morris, College of Charleston
F Kentrel Owens, Wofford
F Charlie Reiter, Davidson
F Justin Wyatt, Elon
M Alex Caskey, Davidson
M Erfan Imeni, Elon
M Arie Muniz, Appalachian State
D Sean Flatley, College of Charleston
D Steven Kinney, Elon
D Nick Schuermann, Wofford
GK Clint Irwin, Elon
Second Team
F Thomas Campbell, UNC Greensboro
F Zach Prince, College of Charleston
F Chris Thomas, Elon
M Paulo Bonfim, Wofford
M Warren Creavalle, Furman
M Andrew Eppelsheimer, Wofford
M Brad Franks, Elon
D Jonathan Collier, Furman
D Matt Elliott, UNC Greensboro
D Branson Hyatt, Wofford
GK Thomas Hunter, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
F Mark Gabriel, Furman
F Mike Magnotic, UNC Greensboro
F Chris Thomas, Elon
F Francis Twohig, College of Charleston
M David Dodge, Appalachian State
M Ralph Lundy III, College of Charleston
M Brian McGue, Davidson
M A.J. Nelson, UNC Greensboro
D Kojo Thompson, Appalachian State
D J.J. Elder, Appalachian State
D Shawn Ferguson, College of Charleston
Player of the Year: Charlie Reiter, Davidson
Freshman of the Year: Chris Thomas, Elon
Coach of the Year: Ralph Polson, Wofford
Reiter becomes the sixth Wildcat to win the honor, and the first since Robert Clarke in 1995. While Reiter earned his first all-conference selection, Caskey was named to the first team for the second consecutive season. The duo helped lead the 'Cats to an 11-7 record and their first national ranking (No. 21 by Soccer America) since 2005 with two wins over nationally-ranked opponents.
“We are thrilled for Charlie,” said head coach Matt Spear. “It's great the other SoCon coaches recognized and highlighted his awesome impact this season.”
Hailing from Westport, Conn., Reiter enjoyed a breakout season after moving up to forward from the midfield. Scoring 12 goals and eight assists for 32 points after starting all 18 matches, Reiter was among the national leaders on offense. He ranked as high as sixth in points per game midway through the season and ranks ninth (1.78) in the category through games played Nov. 8. Reiter also ranks 13th in goals per game (0.67) and 29th in assists per game (0.44). His scoring total is the best single-season mark for a Davidson player since Chris Norbet scored 42 points (19g, 4a) in 2001. Reiter played in every single match the past four years, starting 48 of 77 matches.
“His stats were prolific, and a major factor why we doubled our total goals and almost tripled our wins from the previous 2008 season,” said Spear.
Reiter's season included many highlights. He was named the Southern Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Week for all games played Sept. 29-Oct. 5 after tallying five points (two goals, one assist) in conference wins over College of Charleston (3-2 OT) and Georgia Southern (3-0). Reiter also scored in Davidson's 4-1 win over then-No. 6 Duke (Oct. 6). Reiter amassed a nine-game scoring streak from Sept. 13-Oct. 10 in which he scored 21 points (7g, 7a) and finished the season with four game-winning goals. In his final collegiate game, Reiter scored a career-best three goals and one assist to lead Davidson to a 5-2 win over the Atlantic Sun conference regular season champions, Campbell.
Reiter has been just as successful in the classroom. He was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District First Team for District 3 (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) on Oct. 29 and is now a candidate for the Academic All-America team to be announced on Nov. 18. Majoring in political science with a 3.48 grade point average, Reiter is a two-time SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection, a member of the Davidson Scholars program, and was a member of Team USA at the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel.
“As a member of the Davidson Scholar Honors program, Charlie is a tremendous student with one of the highest GPA's on the team,” said Spear. “Charlie is very smart, very competitive, very focused and very talented – those ingredients are duly celebrated by this honor.”
“Alex is a talent for whom the other SoCon coaches have tons of respect and admiration,” said Spear. “This season he continued his growth to become even stronger, and our winning form owes a lot to his play. Leading the SoCon for goals scored by a midfielder underlines the fact that he's becoming more effective. I can't wait for next fall, because he's going to be an even greater threat to opponents.”
Caskey finished the season with seven goals and two assists for 16 points, also tallying a goal against No. 2 Wake Forest. Anchoring the midfield, he only saw rest in two matches, playing all but 20 minutes of the season. In 2008, Caskey was Davidson's first first-team all-conference selection since All-American John Latting in 2005.
“Brian made a big impact in his first college soccer season,” said Spear. “His ability to transition to the speed of play and physical demands of central midfield as a freshman were remarkable and exceeded our expectations.”
Wofford's Ralph Polson was selected as the league's Coach of the Year after guiding the Terriers to their first regular season title, while Elon's Chris Thomas was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Wofford and Elon earned the most all-conference selections with six each.
As a team the Wildcats finished with 37 goals scored, their highest total since 2004 when they scored 37 in 22 games, and more than twice as many as they scored the previous season (18). The 'Cats rank 10th in the nation in scoring with 2.06 goals per game in games played through Nov. 8. Davidson also held the conference's second-leading scorer in junior Yannick Pilgrim (Arima Trinidad & Tobago), who totaled 20 points on seven goals and six assists.
Davidson will look to continue their success in 2010 with the continued support of their fans. The 'Cats led the SoCon during the regular season in attendance with a total of 8,054 at Alumni Stadium.
2009 All-Southern Conference
First Team
F Matt Morris, College of Charleston
F Kentrel Owens, Wofford
F Charlie Reiter, Davidson
F Justin Wyatt, Elon
M Alex Caskey, Davidson
M Erfan Imeni, Elon
M Arie Muniz, Appalachian State
D Sean Flatley, College of Charleston
D Steven Kinney, Elon
D Nick Schuermann, Wofford
GK Clint Irwin, Elon
Second Team
F Thomas Campbell, UNC Greensboro
F Zach Prince, College of Charleston
F Chris Thomas, Elon
M Paulo Bonfim, Wofford
M Warren Creavalle, Furman
M Andrew Eppelsheimer, Wofford
M Brad Franks, Elon
D Jonathan Collier, Furman
D Matt Elliott, UNC Greensboro
D Branson Hyatt, Wofford
GK Thomas Hunter, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
F Mark Gabriel, Furman
F Mike Magnotic, UNC Greensboro
F Chris Thomas, Elon
F Francis Twohig, College of Charleston
M David Dodge, Appalachian State
M Ralph Lundy III, College of Charleston
M Brian McGue, Davidson
M A.J. Nelson, UNC Greensboro
D Kojo Thompson, Appalachian State
D J.J. Elder, Appalachian State
D Shawn Ferguson, College of Charleston
Player of the Year: Charlie Reiter, Davidson
Freshman of the Year: Chris Thomas, Elon
Coach of the Year: Ralph Polson, Wofford
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