Nasta GK of the Year, School-Record Five All-Conference Selections

MACON, Ga. – The North Florida men's soccer program won big on Tuesday afternoon landing a school-record, five players on the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team. Goalkeeper Kyle Nasta was named the league's Goalkeeper of the Year.

Nasta was joined by senior Diogo Quirino and Helge Pietschmann on the A-Sun First Team. The First Team selections were the first under Head Coach Derek Marinatos and also marked the first time since 2009 an Osprey was selected to the First Team. The three First Team selections were only second to Florida Gulf Coast who had four.

Defender Jay Bolt and junior Alex Morrell were honored by the league for the second time in their careers and named to the Second Team. Bolt was an All-Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team member last season and Morrell is listed on the Second Team for the second-straight year.

First Team All-Conference
GK - Kyle Nasta – The junior goalkeeper is the first Osprey to win an individual postseason award in nearly a decade. In his first season as the North Florida starting goalkeeper, the Jacksonville native flourished. He recorded four shutouts in eight starts. After a six-save effort and a shutout of in-state foe UCF on Sept. 17, he was named Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Week. He went on to shutout three conference opponents and boasts a 1.40 goals against average. His four shutouts this season are the second most by a North Florida goalkeeper in the Division I era.

D - Diogo Quirino – The senior leader anchored the Osprey defense in 2014, starting all but one game. Prior to the season, he was the fan-voted Defensive Player of the Year. He was earned the Mike Gibbs Tournament Defensive MVP after wins over Florida Atlantic and NJIT. He also went on to garner All-Tournament honors at the Gray Griffin Memorial Tournament hosted by Furman. He was on the field for all four shutouts this season, including three against league opponents.

F - Helge Pietschmann – The junior-transfer developed into one of the Ospreys' top scoring threats in 2014. He led the squad with 14 points and tied for the team lead with five goals. He made a splash his first game in a North Florida uniform, recording two assists, only the fifth player in the school's D-1 era to record a multiple-assist game. Pietschmann was among the league's top, in-conference performers. Of his 14 points, 10 came against league counterparts. He scored both goals in the Ospreys' 2-0 triumph over cross-town rival Jacksonville.

Second Team All-Conference
D - Jay Bolt – One of the team's most versatile defenders as he normally makes an impact on both ends of the field. Bolt started 11 of the 13 games for the Ospreys in 2014. He was a member of the Mike Gibbs All-Tournament team early on in the season and was named Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 6. He lived up to the expectations after being named to the Preseason All-Conference Team and the All-Freshman Team a year ago. From his defensive position he recorded assists against NJIT and Jacksonville.

F - Alex Morrell – The dynamic forward led the team with four assists this season and in the process became the school's D-1 career assist leader with 11. He becomes the second Osprey to earn All-Conference honors in consecutive years since Adam O'Neill did it in 2008 and 2009. He was named the Mike Gibbs Tournament Offensive MVP after tallying five points in first two games of the season. Three of his four assists on the year came against conference opponents including a two-assist effort against USC Upstate on Oct. 11.

The Ospreys will play USC Upstate in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Championships on Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. EST.

Nasta GK of the Year, School-Record Five All-Conference Selections

Players Mentioned

Jay Bolt

Alex Morrell

Kyle Nasta

Helge Pietschmann

Diogo Quirino

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