Drexel University Athletics
Donovan Named CAA Player of the Year
11/10/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Nesseler, Tucker, Senden, and Sanders Also Garner CAA Recognition
RICHMOND, Va. – Chris Donovan was named the CAA Men's Soccer Player of the Year by the Colonial Athletic Association on Wednesday morning. Joining Donovan with accolades are Daniel Nesseler, Kyle Tucker, Cameron Sanders, and Youri Senden.
Donovan, a Berwyn, Pa. native, also received All-CAA First Team honors following a standout regular season. Donovan joined some of the top competitors in the nation, ranked ninth in goals (12) and 15th in total points (26). His 12th goal of the year was a true golden goal for the Dragons. The senior scored a header in the 102nd minute against Delaware on Saturday to advance Drexel to its second consecutive CAA Tournament appearance. Donovan is the second Dragon to win the award in back-to-back years, and the last team to do that was VCU in 2003 and 2004. This is the third time in his carreer that Donovan has received All-CAA First Team honors.
Nesseler was a welcomed newcomer for the Dragons this season. The graduate student transfer appeared in 15 games and tallied a goal and two assists to be named to the All-CAA Second Team. He recorded both of his assists in the Dragons' crucial match against Delaware. His lone goal was a game-winning penalty kick against UNCW on Sept. 11.
Tucker pieced together a career year in his senior campaign to be named to the All-CAA Third Team. The Phoenixville, Pa. native scored the first three goals of his career and added two assists to push his career-high point total to eight. His final and most-notable goal this year was a game-tying goal scored in the 58th minute against Delaware. This is the second time in his career that Tucker has been recognized as an All-CAA Third Team recipient.
The Dragons also earned recognition on the All-CAA Third Team for their play between the posts this season. Sanders, Drexel's go-to guy in net, led the Dragons to six victories after saving 42 shots and carrying a goals-against-average of 1.012, the third-best in the conference. This is the first time in his career that Sanders has received post-season accolades.
Senden, the only freshman starter for the Dragons, rounded out the conference honors with All-Rookie and All-CAA Third Team recognition. The Voerendaal, Netherlands native, finished second on the team in minutes and played in nine complete games for the Dragons. In the last game of the season, Senden recorded his first career assist on the play that led to the Dragons clinching a playoff berth.
On Thursday, the Dragons travel to Hempstead, N.Y., to face top-seeded Hofstra in the semifinals of the 2021 CAA Men's Soccer Tournament. The match is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be streamed on FloFC.
2021 All-CAA Men's Soccer Honors
Donovan, a Berwyn, Pa. native, also received All-CAA First Team honors following a standout regular season. Donovan joined some of the top competitors in the nation, ranked ninth in goals (12) and 15th in total points (26). His 12th goal of the year was a true golden goal for the Dragons. The senior scored a header in the 102nd minute against Delaware on Saturday to advance Drexel to its second consecutive CAA Tournament appearance. Donovan is the second Dragon to win the award in back-to-back years, and the last team to do that was VCU in 2003 and 2004. This is the third time in his carreer that Donovan has received All-CAA First Team honors.
Nesseler was a welcomed newcomer for the Dragons this season. The graduate student transfer appeared in 15 games and tallied a goal and two assists to be named to the All-CAA Second Team. He recorded both of his assists in the Dragons' crucial match against Delaware. His lone goal was a game-winning penalty kick against UNCW on Sept. 11.
Tucker pieced together a career year in his senior campaign to be named to the All-CAA Third Team. The Phoenixville, Pa. native scored the first three goals of his career and added two assists to push his career-high point total to eight. His final and most-notable goal this year was a game-tying goal scored in the 58th minute against Delaware. This is the second time in his career that Tucker has been recognized as an All-CAA Third Team recipient.
The Dragons also earned recognition on the All-CAA Third Team for their play between the posts this season. Sanders, Drexel's go-to guy in net, led the Dragons to six victories after saving 42 shots and carrying a goals-against-average of 1.012, the third-best in the conference. This is the first time in his career that Sanders has received post-season accolades.
Senden, the only freshman starter for the Dragons, rounded out the conference honors with All-Rookie and All-CAA Third Team recognition. The Voerendaal, Netherlands native, finished second on the team in minutes and played in nine complete games for the Dragons. In the last game of the season, Senden recorded his first career assist on the play that led to the Dragons clinching a playoff berth.
On Thursday, the Dragons travel to Hempstead, N.Y., to face top-seeded Hofstra in the semifinals of the 2021 CAA Men's Soccer Tournament. The match is set for 4:30 p.m. and will be streamed on FloFC.
2021 All-CAA Men's Soccer Honors
| First Team | |||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown | |
| Ryan Carmichael | Hofstra | F | So. | Armagh, Northern Ireland | |
| Chris Donovan | Drexel | F | Sr. | Paoli, Pa. | |
| Luca Erhardt | James Madison | F | Sr. | Offenbach, Germany | |
| Matthew Vowinkel | Hofstra | F | Gr. | New Hyde Park, N.Y. | |
| Jacob Evans | UNCW | M | R-Sr. | Chester, Cheshire, England | |
| Hendrik Hebbeker | Hofstra | M | Sr. | Cologne, Germany | |
| Alexander Levengood | William & Mary | M | Jr. | Richmond, Va. | |
| Federico Tellez | Northeastern | M | So. | Miami, Fla. | |
| Melker Anshelm | James Madison | D | Sr. | Stockholm, Sweden | |
| Tyler Clegg | James Madison | D | Sr. | Woodbridge, Va. | |
| George O'Malley | Hofstra | D | Sr. | Harrow, England | |
| Wessel Speel | Hofstra | GK | So. | Utrecht, Netherlands | |
| Second Team | |||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown | |
| Benjamin Klingen | Northeastern | F | Sr. | Wadersloh, Germany | |
| Nicolas Molina | UNCW | F | Gr. | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
| Diba Nwegbo | William & Mary | F | Jr. | Acworth, Ga. | |
| Axel Ahlander | James Madison | M | So. | Nøtterøy, Norway | |
| Daniel Nesseler | Drexel | M | Gr. | Leverkusen, Germany | |
| Rodrigo Robles | James Madison | M | Jr. | Burgos, Spain | |
| Michael Hornsby | UNCW | D | Gr. | Biberach an der Riss, Germany | |
| Kasper Lehm | Elon | D | Jr. | Odense, Denmark | |
| Nathan Messer | William & Mary | D | Jr. | Bethesda, Md. | |
| Jannik Videbaek | Elon | D | So. | Silkeborg, Denmark | |
| Gabriel Perrotta | UNCW | GK | Jr. | Asuncion, Paraguay | |
| Third Team | |||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown | |
| Jack Edwards | Elon | F | Sr. | Oak Ridge, N.C. | |
| Timothy Ennin | Northeastern | F | R-Jr. | Hartford, Conn. | |
| Alex Krakowiak | James Madison | M | So. | Guelph, Ontario | |
| Storm Strongin | Hofstra | M | Gr. | Hicksville, N.Y. | |
| Kyle Tucker | Drexel | M | Sr. | Phoenixville, Pa. | |
| Aron Adalsteinsson | Delaware | D | Jr. | Reykjavik, Iceland | |
| Stefan Mason | Hofstra | D | Jr. | Knowle, United Kingdom | |
| Youri Senden | Drexel | D | Fr. | Voerendaal, Netherlands | |
| Mason Tatafu | Hofstra | D | Fr. | Perth, Australia | |
| Colby Hegarty | Northeastern | GK | R-So. | Upton, Mass. | |
| Cameron Sanders | Drexel | GK | R-Sr. | York Springs, Pa. | |
| 2021 CAA Player of the Year: Chris Donovan, Drexel | |||||
| 2021 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: George O'Malley, Hofstra | |||||
| 2021 CAA Rookie of the Year: Mason Tatafu, Hofstra | |||||
| 2021 CAA Coach of the Year: Richard Nuttall, Hofstra | |||||
| 2021 CAA Men's Soccer All-Rookie Team | |||||
| Name | School | Pos. | Cl. | Hometown | |
| Jack Crocco | William & Mary | D | So. | Midlothian, Va. | |
| Calle Edelstam | Elon | M | Fr. | Djursholm, Sweden | |
| Carlos Fernandez | Delaware | F | Fr. | A Coruña, Spain | |
| Adam Hillis | UNCW | M | Fr. | Tasman, New Zealand | |
| Søren Ilsøe | Northeastern | M | So. | Faaborg, Denmark | |
| Daniel Pereira | Charleston | D | Fr. | Praia da Vitória, Azores, Portugal | |
| Sebastian Restrepo | Northeastern | F | Fr. | Miami, Fla. | |
| Lorenzo Selini | Hofstra | M | Fr. | Selden, N.Y. | |
| Youri Senden | Drexel | D | Fr. | Voerendaal, Netherlands | |
| Mason Tatafu | Hofstra | D | Fr. | Perth, Australia | |
| Andres Torrealba | Northeastern | M | Fr. | Miami, Fla. | |
| Scott Vatne | Elon | M | Fr. | Klepp, Norway | |
Players Mentioned
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