Hofstra University Athletics

MARTINEZ NAMED CAA DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

11/13/2009 1:00:00 AM

Wilmington, N.C. (Nov. 12) - Senior center back Richard Martinez (Highland, N.Y.) was named the Colonial Athletic Association Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year in a vote of the league's coaches, it was announced today at the league's awards banquet.

Martinez was joined on the first team for Hofstra by senior midfielder Rob Youhill (Harrogate, England), who was a second-team selection last year. Senior defender Jamal Neptune (East Windsor, N.J.) was named to the second team, earning All-CAA honors for the first time in his career, while junior forward Johannes Grahn (Tibro, Sweden) was named to the third team, marking his second All-CAA honor. Freshman midfielder Stephan Barea (Levittown, N.Y.) was named to the All-Rookie team.

Martinez becomes the first member of the Pride to win the Defensive Player of the Year honor from the CAA. Former Hofstra All-American Michael Todd was named the Player of the Year in 2006 after leading Hofstra to its third straight CAA title. Martinez, who also plays for the Puerto Rico national team, started every game in his four seasons at Hofstra except for his debut as a freshman, when he came off the bench. He was honored by the CAA in all four seasons, earning all-rookie honors as a freshman, second-team accolades as a sophomore, and first-team honors last year.

Youhill led Hofstra in scoring this fall with five goals and six assists for 16 points, capping off a career which saw him tie Todd for third on the Pride's all-time assist list with 21. After scoring in the CAA championship game as a freshman in 2006, Youhill did not score a goal as a sophomore or junior before tallying all five of his goals in conference play this fall. He had a two-goal, one-assist effort in a 4-1 win over Drexel and added game-winning goals in victories over George Mason and VCU.

Neptune started every game for Hofstra at outside back and earned All-CAA honors for the first time in his four years with the Pride. He was named to the All-Tournament teams at both the Penn State Classic and the Stetson University Tournament back in September.

Grahn finished tied for the team lead with six goals this season, giving him 20 goals through three seasons. He scored both of Hofstra's goals against Ohio State, giving him at least one multi-goal game in each of his first three seasons with the Pride, and then added two second-half goals in a win over Delaware. Grahn also earned second-team All-CAA honors as a freshman, when he scored 10 goals, tying him for tops in the league.

Barea had a tremendous impact in his rookie season with Hofstra, tying Grahn for team-high honors with six goals. He scored just 62 seconds into his college career in a 1-0 win over Stony Brook on September 1, and added goals in the first five minutes of wins over Jacksonville and VCU. He also had the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win over Towson on Oct. 28, and tallied goals in league games against Delaware and James Madison.

Hofstra finished the year with an 8-7-2 record and a 6-3-2 mark in the Colonial Athletic Association, tying it for fourth place. However, the Pride was left out of the four-team CAA Tournament after losing its tiebreaker with Old Dominion for the final spot in the field.

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