Six Patriots and coach Varnado earn All-PBC soccer honors

Six Francis Marion University men's soccer players have been named to the Peach Belt Conference 2008 All-Conference Team, while second-year head coach Kevin Varnado was tabbed as the PBC's Coach of the Year.

Senior defender Willie Hunt and junior midfielder Kyle Clinton were named to the first-team All-PBC squad, while sophomore forward Juan Rivas, sophomore midfielder Ivan Juric, sophomore goalkeeper Clark Richeson, and freshman midfielder/forward  Adrian Sikorski all gained second-team recognition.

The six have helped Francis Marion to a 13-4-3 record, including a 14-match unbeaten streak, and a No. 21 national ranking.  The Patriots played a first-round NCAA Division II national tournament match at Carson-Newman on Wednesday evening (Nov. 12).

Varnado, a native of Tampa, Fla., guided the Patriots to both the Peach Belt regular-season and tournament titles and the bid to the NCAA Tournament.  These accolades came after FMU posted a 5-12-1 mark in Varnado's first season in 2007 and the Patriots were picked to finish fifth in the 2008 pre-season conference coaches' poll.

Hunt, a native of Greer, S.C. is the only senior on Varnado's young squad.  He has started all 20 matches, scored four goals, including the winning overtime tally in the PBC Tournament championship match, and recorded one assist.  As importantly, he anchored a Patriot defense that has posted eight shutouts and has allowed only eight goals during the past 14 matches.

Clinton, a native of Safety Harbor, Fla., also started all 20 matches and tallied eight goals and five assists.  Rivas, an All-PBC selection as a freshman in 2007, leads FMU in scoring with nine goals and five assists.  Among the Clearwater, Fla., native's nine goals are three match-winners.

Juric, a native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, has scored seven goals, including three match-winners, and compiled seven assists.  Sikorski, a native of Inglewood, Ontario, Canada, led FMU with nine assists, while also scoring six goals.

Richeson owns a 1.25 goals against average and a .752 save percentage. The Mansfield, Texas, native has recorded six complete-match shutouts and registered 79 saves, while playing all but 28 minutes this season.  During the recent 14-match streak, he has an 0.55 GAA with an .867 save percentage.

The six are the most FMU has ever placed on the All-Conference Team.