Feb. 1, 2018
by Tony Jones
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – For the second straight year, five University of Notre Dame men’s soccer players were selected to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) All-Academic Men’s Soccer Team. The conference office officially released the latest edition of its all-academic squad on Thursday.
Sophomore midfielder Jack Casey, junior defender Felicien Dumas, senior forward Jeff Farina, fifth-year senior defender/tri-captain Matt Habrowski and fifth-year senior goalkeeper/tri-captain Chris Hubbard were named to the 2017 ACC All-Academic Team. Farina and Hubbard each received the recognition for the second time in their respective careers, while Casey, Dumas and Habrowski were honored for the first time.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
Jack Casey
Casey was previously named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America® Second Team at the end of the 2017 season. Casey has competed in 38 games over two seasons (20 starts) in the Irish midfield. He has scored one goal and added eight assists, including a career-high five assists in 20 starts this past season. A total of four of Casey’s five assists in his sophomore campaign were earned on either go-ahead or ultimate game-winning goals for Notre Dame.
Felicien Dumas
Dumas started all 20 games for Notre Dame at left back last season, scoring three goals and adding a team-high eight assists for 14 points. Dumas also was part of five team shutouts for the Irish in 2017. Named as both the ACC Defensive Player of the Week and to the TopDrawerSoccer Men’s Team of the Week on Sept. 18, Dumas is a veteran 22 career appearances at Notre Dame.
Jeff Farina
Farina was previously named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team at the end of the 2017 season. He enjoyed a breakout season as a senior, scoring eight goals (three game-winning goals) and contributing seven assists for 23 points in 20 starts and was named to the 2017 All-ACC Third Team in recognition of his strong play. Farina appeared in 76 career games at forward for Notre Dame, earning 55 starts. He scored 14 career goals and added 21 assists for 49 totals points, chipping in five game-winning goals during his Irish tenure.
Matt Habrowski
Habrowski started all 18 games he played at center back for Notre Dame in 2017, contributing to four team clean sheets. He connected on the game-winning goal in an ACC showdown with NC State last season, and finished his career with three goals and two assists in 66 games (65 starts). A two-year team captain, Habrowski helped guide the Irish defense to 23 total shutouts during his career.
Chris Hubbard
Hubbard wrapped up a three-year career as the Notre Dame starter by appearing in all 20 games of 2017, posting an 11-7-2 record and a 0.97 goals against average. He added four solo shutouts last season to post 21 career clean sheets during his 63 starts in the Irish goal. Hubbard signed his first professional contract with Louisville FC of the United Soccer League (USL) following the completion of the 2017 Notre Dame season.
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Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2012 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame softball, men’s soccer and swimming and diving programs. A native of Jamestown, New York, Jones is a 2011 graduate of St. Bonaventure University, and prior to arriving at Notre Dame held positions at the University of Louisiana Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.