2023-12-05 17:17:36
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Five members of the West Virginia University men’s soccer team have been named All-Southeast Region by the United Soccer Coaches.
Senior forward Yutaro Tsukada, sophomore forward Marcus Caldeira and senior midfielder Luke McCormick were named to the first team while junior defender Frederik Jorgensen and senior goalkeeper Jackson Lee earned spots on the second team.
It is the most all-region selections for the Mountaineers in program history, surpassing the previous record of three set multiple times in 2021, 2006, 1980 and 1967. It also is the first all-region honor for all five players.
Tsukada leads the Mountaineers and is sixth in the country with 33 points on 12 goals and a team-high nine assists. The Tokyo native has picked it up when it’s mattered most, scoring six goals in six postseason games. Tsukada was also named First Team All-Sun Belt earlier this year.
Caldeira is tied with Tsukada for the team lead with 12 goals this season while also adding three assists. The All-Sun Belt First-Team selection has played in all 23 games this season with 22 starts, logging 1,718 minutes. One of the highlights of the season for the Mountaineers and Caldeira came against Marshall when the sophomore scored a hat trick against the No. 1 team in the nation.
A native of Derby, England, McCormick has scored seven goals and dished out three assists for a total of 17 points. Coming up clutch in big moments, all seven of his goals have come against Sun Belt opponents or in postseason play, including the equalizer against Loyola Marymount in the NCAA Quarterfinals. McCormick now has 20 assists in his career, fourth-most in program history.
Jorgensen has played in all 23 games with 22 starts on the WVU back line, logging 1,754 minutes. He has been a key contributor to a defense that is allowing just 0.96 goals per game with nine shutouts. The Aarhus, Denmark native also has contributed to the scoring with a goal and four assists.
Lee has played every minute this season for the Mountaineers in goal as WVU is 17-2-4 heading into the College Cup. The Perth, Australia native has stopped 62 shots and has a .738 save percentage while recording nine clean sheets, seventh-most in the nation. He also has collected two assists in WVU’s victory over then No. 1 Marshall as well as the NCAA Quarterfinal against Loyola Marymount.
The Mountaineers face off against Clemson on Friday in the College Cup Semifinals. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. ET, at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Ky.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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