Bucknell University Athletics
Three Bison Named to All-Region Soccer Team
12/10/2013 12:07:00 PM | Men's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Three Bucknell men's soccer student-athletes have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team. Senior fullback Mayowa Alli (Lanham, Md./Bishop McNamara) and sophomore striker Jesse Klug (Sammamish, Wash./Overlake School) both earned First Team honors, and sophomore midfielder Chris Thorsheim (Manalapan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) was named to the Second Team.
Alli, Klug and Thorsheim were all First Team All-Patriot League honorees in 2013. This is the fifth time in program history that Bucknell has earned at least three All-Region citations in one season. The high-water mark is four in 2009, when the Bison won a record 17 games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This year they won 13 contests, the second-highest total in program history.
Bucknell has now claimed at least one All-Region selection in every year dating back to 2002, and this was the third time in program history that two Bison earned First Team honors in the same season.
One of the most dynamic players in the Patriot League, Alli was a rock at center fullback all season long for the Bison. He played nearly every minute of every match on a back four that contributed to 10 shutouts and a sterling 0.73 team goals-against average. Alli, who was the Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 2010, won three Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors this season and five in his career. He also has three career Offensive Player of the Week awards.
Alli was also a First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection in 2011. He tallied three goals this season and 15 in his career. Three of those goals came in overtime, including one this season at Rutgers.
Klug earned All-Patriot League and All-Region honors for the first time after leading the team with 10 goals in 2013. That was the second-highest total in the conference, trailing only Second Team All-Region selection Larry Ndjock of Loyola, who had 12. Klug also had three assists, and his 23 points were also tied for second-most in the league.
After scoring three times during his rookie year, Klug developed into one of the league's most dangerous snipers in 2013. He scored a goal in four straight games in September – all of them game-winners -- and then had a four-game point streak in league play late in the year. Klug had a two-goal game in a 2-0 win at Seton Hall, and he logged a goal and two assists in a 3-0 win at Lafayette. He also scored against Loyola, Colgate and Holy Cross in league play, and then tallied the clinching goal in a 3-1 win over American in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.
Like Klug, Thorsheim exploded in the scoring department this season, and he earned his second straight All-Region honor. He had four assists during his all-league freshman campaign in 2012, but this year he began finding the back of the net with regularity. He scored his first two career goals on opening night against Canisius and logged the team's first four goals of the season. Thorsheim scored in both of Bucknell's 1-0 victories during the final week of the regular season, including the overtime winner at Boston University that secured a home game for the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals. He scored again in that 3-1 quarterfinal victory over American.
Thorsheim's eight goals and 17 points both ranked fourth in league this season
The Bison finished the year 13-6-1 overall and 5-3-1 in the Patriot League. They were eliminated from the PL Tournament in the semifinals by eventual-champion Navy.
