Six William and Mary athletes were named to the All-CAA men’s soccer team Thursday, headlined by senior forward Andrew Hoxie who was selected as the conference’s player of the year. Hoxie finished the season leading the league in goals (10) and assists (11).
Joining Hoxie on the first team was junior midfielder Nat Baako. Senior back Roger Bothe and junior forward Alan Koger collected second team honors, while senior midfielder Price Thomas made the third team. Redshirt freshman midfielder Caleb Thomas earned All-CAA Rookie Team honors.
Hoxie is only the fifth player in the College’s history to be named the conference’s player of the year, and the first since Wade Barrett in 1997. He currently ranks fourth in the nation in assists per game (.61) and 13th in points per game (1.72). The Tribe is 9-0 this season when Hoxie scored at least one goal in a game.
“Obviously first you have to have talent,” Head Coach Chris Norris said, referring to what makes Hoxie so effective. “The other thing about it that makes him so successful as an attacking player is he isn’t afraid to miss. He isn’t afraid to be the guy that takes responsibility for trying to score the goal, trying to take the chance. And that is a rare thing to see.”
For Baako, it was the second consecutive season on the first team. The junior notched two goals this year, both game winners. He also tied with Bothe for second on the team in assists with five.
Bothe bettered last season’s third team selection, moving up one slot to second team. The senior captained this year’s squad to a second place finish in the CAA regular season, netting one goal and dishing out five assists.
After being named to the All-Rookie team in 2007, Koger remained out of the honorees last year despite an 8-goal season. This year, Koger finished with six goals and three assists, good for the third on the team in points.
Price Thomas’s seven goals ranked second on the squad, and tied for seventh in the CAA, garnering the senior third team honors for the second straight season after being named to the first team in 2007. His 18 points placed him in ninth in the conference.
Despite only starting two games this year, Caleb Thomas made his presence felt coming off the bench netting three goals including a dramatic double overtime winner against Northeastern late in the season. Thomas became the fifth player to be named to the All-Rookie squad in the Tribe’s history.
The College returns to the pitch Friday when the Tribe travels to the University of North Carolina-Wilmington for the CAA Tournament to face Northeastern in the opening round.
