BANGOR, Maine — Pilar Elias of Waterville and Stephen Ochan of Deering High School in Portland have been recognized as the state’s high school soccer All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Elias and Ochan were among all-stars from throughout the state honored during the Maine Soccer Coaches Association’s annual banquet held Sunday.
Elias, a senior forward, led Waterville to an 18-0 record and the girls Class B state championship this fall, scoring a team-leading 37 goals to bring her career total with the Purple Panthers to 118. Elias also is the 2014 Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class B player of the year as well as a two-time conference all-star. She also has been selected to the Eastern Maine State Team and the Class B regional all-star team each of the past two seasons.
Ochan was the field general who led Deering to a 13-2-1 record and a berth in the Western Maine Class A boys semifinals. The senior midfielder previously was named the Western Maine Board of Soccer Officials’ player of the year and the Southwestern Maine Athletic Association offensive player of the year, and Ochan is a two-time selection to both the MSCA Western Maine State Team and Western A regional all-star squad.
Elias and Ochan were chosen for All-America status from among six All-New England honorees.
Joining Ochan on the boys side were Tristan Gardner of Hampden Academy and Adam LaBrie of Yarmouth.
Gardner, a senior forward, was named All-New England for the second straight year after scoring 25 goals this fall while leading Hampden to the Eastern Maine Class A semifinals.
LaBrie helped Yarmouth win the Class B state championship this fall. He scored the game-winning goal in the Clippers’ 1-0 victory over Ellsworth in the state final, and finished the season with 24 goals.
Mount Desert Island’s Opal Curless and Windham’s Jenna Soucy joined Elias as girls’ All-New England choices.
Curless, a junior midfielder who already has made a verbal commitment to continue her soccer career at Syracuse beginning in 2016, scored 27 goals for the Trojans this fall and is a two-time MSCA Eastern Maine State Team selection.
Soucy, a repeat All-New England choice, led Windham to a 17-0-1 record and its second straight Class A state title. She tied a school record with 33 goals this season and set a school mark with six goals in a match.
Soucy also was named Class A girls player of the year while Elias won the Class B honor for the second consecutive year. Diana Tyutyunnyk of Orono was named the state’s Class C player of the year, also for the second straight season, with Jenna Hallett of Penobscot Valley of Howland and Marissa Chasse of state champion Ashland sharing player of the year honors in Class D.
Ochan was selected as Class A player of the year on the boys side, with LaBrie (Class B), Harry Baker-Connick of Waynflete of Portland (Class C) and Cameron Emmons of Richmond (Class D) also recognized.
Peter Gardner, the longtime former Brunswick High School coach who came out of retirement to lead Richmond High School to the the Class D boys state championship this fall, was presented the Maine Soccer Coaches Service Award.
Gardner previously guided the Brunswick boys to six Class A state titles, five NSCAA All-American players and 17 All-New England honorees.
Deb Lebel of Windham was named Western Maine girls coach of the year after guiding the Eagles to the Class A state title, while Tim Tweedie of Houlton was recognized in Eastern Maine after leading the Houlton girls to the EM Class C crown.
Boys coaches of the year were Mike McGraw of Lewiston for Eastern Maine and Mark Diaz of Scarborough in Western Maine, with Diaz honored for the second straight season.
Five coaches also were nominated for the NSCAA Region I coach of the year award. Diaz was recognized in the boys large-school division and Gardner in the small-school ranks, while Bangor Christian coach Aaron Wilcox was nominated in the boys private school division.
Houlton’s Tweedie was honored in the girls’ small-school ranks, while Mike Farley of Scarborough was the girls large-school coaching nominee.
