ELON, N.C. – The Elon University men's soccer team had five members of its squad selected to the 2013 North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) University Division All-State Men's Soccer Team as announced by the association on Monday, Dec. 2. Elon's Daniel Lovitz, Jason Waterman and Matt Wescoe garnered first-team honors while goalkeeper Nathan Dean and Austin Dunker were selected to the second team.

Lovitz was named the 2013 Southern Conference Player of the Year, becoming the third member of the program to earn the accolade. The Wyndmoor, Pa., native tallied 14 points on the year on four goals and six assists and ranks among the top-10 in program history in assists. The senior midfielder scored three game-winners on the year, including two against a pair of top-10 opponents. Lovitz scored the lone goal of the contest in the Phoenix's 1-0 win over then No. 9 Wake Forest on Sept. 17, and converted the game-winning penalty kick in the Elon's 2-1 victory over then No. 6 Coastal Carolina on Oct. 29. Lovitz earned first team All-SoCon honors and was selected to the league's All-Tournament team.

A junior striker, Waterman paced the Phoenix offensively with 31 points, which is currently tied for 10^th in the nation. The Bloomington, Ind., native led the Phoenix with 12 goals and tied for the team-lead in assists with seven. Waterman scored twice in second half in Elon's come-from-behind 4-3 win against local rival UNCG on Nov. 2 and had three multi-goal matches on the year. He scored the game-winner in the Phoenix's 1-0 victory over Wofford in the SoCon Tournament championship match to help Elon clinch its third straight SoCon Tournament title and NCAA Tournament bid. He helped the maroon and gold advance in the NCAA Tournament for the first time after scoring a goal and providing the game-winning shootout penalty kick in the opening round over Clemson on Nov. 21.

Wescoe tied Waterman for the team-lead in assists with seven and was third on the squad in total points with 17. The senior from Willow Springs, N.C., scored three game-winners on the season and also provided a goal in the semifinals of the SoCon Tournament against Georgia Southern in the Phoenix's 5-1 win over the Eagles. He also converted the game-tying penalty kick in Elon's 1-1 draw against Northeastern in its season opener on Aug. 30. A second team All-SoCon selection, Wescoe concluded his career ranked among the top-10 in program history in assists.

Dean played all but five minutes between the posts this season for Elon and helped the maroon and gold defense post seven total shutouts on the year. The Liverpool, England, native had six clean sheets during the season and posted a GAA of 1.07, fourth-lowest single-season mark on the program's all-time list, and had 71 saves. A two-time SoCon Player of the Week performer, Dean made six saves in the Phoenix's 1-0 win over the ninth-ranked Demon Deacons and had a career-high nine saves against William & Mary on Sept. 20. Dean moved into third place all-time in school-history in shutouts with 16 after posting a clean sheet against Wofford in the SoCon Championship match.

A second team All-SoCon selection, Dunker led the Phoenix in minutes played with 2,192 and helped anchor the back line of the maroon and gold defense. The Greensboro, N.C., native has also contributed offensively with three assists, including two at High Point (Sept. 28) in the Phoenix's 4-1 win over the Panthers. The junior defender also received some national attention and was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Team of the Week on Oct. 8.

NCCSIA All-State University Division Men's Soccer Team
 
First Team
GK - Klay Davis, Charlotte
D - Austin Yearwood, High Point University
D - Mahdi Ali, UNCG
D - Jacob VanCompernolle, UNCW
M - Daniel Lovitz, Elon University
M - Aidan Kirkbride, Charlotte
M - Matt Wescoe, Elon University
M - Ali Al-Gashamy, Gardner-Webb University
F - Mamadee Nyepon, High Point University
F - Denzel Clarke, Gardner-Webb University
F - Jason Waterman, Elon University
 
Second Team
GK - Nathan Dean, Elon University
D - Marius Hammersmark, Gardner-Webb University
D - Harrison Delbridge, Appalachian State University
D - Austin Dunker, Elon University
M - David Sizemore, UNCW
M - Adam Sewell, High Point University
M - Justin Franz, Campbell
M - Oddur Gudmundsson, UNCG
F - Kyle Parker, Charlotte
F - Colin Bonner, UNCW
F - Giuseppe Gentile, Charlotte