Dec. 12, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame All-Americans Ryan Finley and Dillon Powers are among 54 seniors that have been invited to the 2013 Major League Soccer (MLS) Player Combine. The event will take place Jan. 11-15 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The combine is held annually prior to the MLS SuperDraft. This year’s draft is slated for Jan. 17 in Indianapolis, Ind. A committee of NCAA Division I coaches from every conference, as well as MLS representatives, selected the combine invitees.
Finley, a forward, and Powers, a central midfielder, were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America First Team last week.
Finley (Lumberton, N.J./Rancocas Valley/Duke) played in all 22 matches this season and ranked second nationally in goals (21) and points (46). Finley led the BIG EAST with 12 goals in league play and was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. He also is one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy, which is the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer.
He had six game-winning goals, including two golden goals. He scored the golden goal in the title game of the BIG EAST Championship, a 3-2 double-overtime victory over Georgetown. Finley had six multiple-goal games, including one hat trick. His 21 goals rank fifth in Notre Dame history for a single season.
|
 |
Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) started all 22 matches in the central midfield and posted career-high totals in goals (5), assists (9) and points (19). The assist total was tied for 20th nationally. Powers, a two-time team captain, tallied three game-winning goals and played 2,011 of a possible 2,044 minutes on the field this season.
Powers was one of 15 semifinalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy. He earned first team all-BIG EAST honors this season in addition to being a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award. Powers ended his career by playing in 73 straight games, including 60 consecutive starts.
Finley and Powers helped Notre Dame to a 17-4-1 record this season. The 17 wins were the most for the Irish since 1988. The Fighting Irish won the program’s third BIG EAST Championship title and were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Championship for the first time ever. Notre Dame fell to eventual national champion Indiana, 2-1 in double-overtime, in the third round of the tournament.
–ND–