Just prior to the start of the New Year, Soccer America announced its’ annual Men’s College Soccer Awards for 2011. As on the women’s side, the national champions were well-represented in all areas. The North Carolina Tar Heels, fresh off their thrilling one-goal win over Charlotte in the national final, swept the Player and Coach of the Year honors, placed four players on the Soccer America MVP Teams, and three players on the All-Freshman Team.

UNC was loaded with talent this year, but junior transfer Ben Speas was clearly the catalyst, especially in the postseason. Speas, who transferred from Akron where he helped the Zips to the 2010 national title, had two goals and an assist in the ACC championship game, scored in the NCAA second round and quarterfinals, had a key assist on the game-winning goal in the College Cup Semis, and scored the only goal of the team’s closely contested championship final against Charlotte. Remarkably, he is the first Tar Heel in history to win the SA Player of the Year Award.

Speas, a midfielder, was one of three Carolina players to earn a spot on the Soccer America MVP’s 1st Team, joining teammates F Billy Schuler and D Matt Hedges on the squad. Midfielder Enzo Martinez was named to the 2nd Team. Creighton was the only other team to place more than one player on the 1st Team (GK Brian Holt and F Ethan Finlay). UCLA’s Chandler Hoffman was also a 1st Teamer, while teammates Brian Rowe and Kelyn Rowe were named to the 2nd Team.

The top freshman award went to Charlotte forward Giuseppe Gentile. The Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year had a team-high 10 goals on the season and was the 49ers biggest playmaker during their improbably run to the final. In addition to four game winners during the regular season, he scored the game-tying goal in the opening round game against Furman, assisted on the game winner against UAB in round two, scored the game’s only goal in the 3rd round upset win over defending champ Akron, and had the game tying goal late in a quarterfinal upset win at UConn that eventually went to a shootout.

Gentile led an impressive list of impact performers on this year’s All-Freshman team that included North Carolina’s Mikey Lopez, Jordan McCrary and Boyd Okwuonu. Akron and Northwestern had one player on both the first and second teams.

Finally, the Tar Heels Carlos Somoano took home the Coach of the Year trophy. Moving from assistant into the head coach’s chair, he is just the second head coach in NCAA Division I men's history to win the national title in his rookie campaign.

Somoano, just the fifth head coach in program history, took over a squad that lost seven starters from the 2010 team, including three who went on to start in the MLS this year, and led a patchwork lineup of freshmen and transfers to the national championship.