Dec. 11, 2015
2015 NSCAA Division I All-South Region Team
2016 ADIDAS MLS COMBINE INVITEES
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Three members of the University of Notre Dame men’s soccer team received all-region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) on Thursday in recognition of strong performances during the 2015 season. Tri-captains Patrick Hodan (Sr./M) and Max Lachowecki (5th/D), along with rising striker Jon Gallagher (So./F), were each tabbed to the NSCAA all-South Region second team.
The three 2015 scrolls pushed the total all-region honors garnered by Notre Dame players to 71 in program history, with 47 players earning all-region status since the 2000 season. The Irish also had three players named to an all-region squad for the second straight year, and have had at least three team members selected for the end of the year honor by the NSCAA every season since 2010.
In addition to the NSCAA all-region citations, on Friday both Hodan and Lachowecki were officially invited to attend the 2016 adidas MLS Player Combine. A total of 59 players from NCAA Division I institutions were announced on the initial list to take part in the annual adidas MLS Player Combine, which allows the nation’s top collegiate players to showcase their skills in front of representatives from all 20 MLS clubs. The combine will be held on Jan. 7-12, 2016, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Hodan and Lachowecki are both eligible for the 2016 MLS SuperDraft, which will be held on Jan. 14 in Baltimore, Maryland. Notre Dame has had 24 players selected in the MLS SuperDraft since 2004, including eight first round choices.
Hodan (Brookfield, Wisconsin) concluded his Notre Dame career as a three-time NSCAA all-region recipient, adding his 2015 second team nod to a 2014 first team scroll and a third team citation in 2013. Named the 2015 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America of the Year® for Division I men’s soccer in November, Hodan concluded his senior season with three goals and a career-high six assists (12 points). His assist count led all Notre Dame players, while his goal and point totals were third on the Irish roster in 2015.
Hodan scored 29 goals and added 17 assists in 87 career matches (51 starts) at Notre Dame, connecting on 10 game-winning goals during his four-year tenure with the Irish. He was also a 2014 NSCAA All-America first team choice, the 2014 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Offensive Player of the Year, a three-time all-ACC selection (2013 and 2015 second team, 2014 first team) and a semifinalist for the 2014 MAC Hermann Trophy.
Lachowecki (Evansville, Indiana) claimed all-region honors for the first time after enjoying a banner year at left back for Notre Dame. Lachowecki tied a career-high with three goals and established personal bests in both assists (5) and points (11) to lead all Irish defenders in scoring, with his assist total tying for third and points total tying for fourth on the Notre Dame roster. He also played a key role in Notre Dame’s 10 team shutouts in 2015.
Lachowecki was a four-year starter for the Irish from 2012-15, notching eight goals and nine assists (25 points) in 85 career starts. Four of Lachowecki’s eight career goals were game-winning tallies. He earned his first all-conference scroll by being named to the all-ACC second team last month.
Gallagher (Dundalk, Ireland) completed his breakout sophomore season as the Notre Dame team leader with nine goals and 21 points in 22 starts, all career-highs. Gallagher notched two game-winning goals during the 2015 campaign, and finished among the top 10 players in the ACC in shots (71, second), goals (tied for fourth) and points (ninth). He also added 2015 all-ACC third team recognition to a 2014 conference all-freshman team nod.
Tony Jones, athletics communications assistant 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 and men’s soccer 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 at Monroe and with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills.