Dominican sweeps NAC men's soccer major awards

VERONA, Wis. -- The Northern Athletics Conference has released the men's soccer awards for the 2006 season. Dominican University swept the major awards, claiming the rookie, player and coach of the year honors.

Freshman midfielder Arnes Rodriguez (Rosemont, Ill.) was named rookie of the year. Rodriguez ranks tops in the nation in assists per game with 0.83 (4th) and points per game with 2.28 (18th). In conference-only games he was first (1.12 assists/game) and second (2.88 points/game), respectively, while ranking fifth in goals per game (0.88).

Matt Kochanowski (Arlington Heights, Ill.) was honored with the player of the year award. The sophomore forward led the NAC in both points (3.67) and goals (1.56) per conference game, and was fifth in assists (0.56/game). His 2.5 points per game in overall games ranks ninth best in the nation, and his 1.0 goals per game ranks 13th.

Erick Baumann was named NAC coach of the year as the Stars finished the conference season with a perfect 9-0 record and claimed the conference tournament title. The Stars (20-1-1) have won their first two games in the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship, and will face Montclair State this Saturday in a sectional semifinal.