3 Hoosiers named All-Americans

As the College Cup kicked off in Cary, N.C., and the IU men's soccer team stayed home for the first time since 2002, three outgoing IU men's soccer players received All-America honors.\nThe National Soccer Coaches Association of America named senior Brian Plotkin to the first team, while juniors Jacob Peterson and Jed Zayner received third team honors Friday.\n"Brian, Jed and Jacob were instrumental in our success in winning back-to-back national titles," IU coach Mike Freitag said in a statement. "They were leaders and dedicated themselves to Indiana soccer. I am proud of each of them, knowing that they all have carried on the tradition of excellence."\nAlso Friday, the NSCAA named Plotkin as a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, college soccer's equivalent to college football's Heisman Trophy.\n"The Hermann thing was a big surprise," said Plotkin, also the Big Ten's Player of the Year. "It's definitely a compliment to be named first team All-American."\nMaryland's Jason Garey -- the nation's leading goal scorer -- and New Mexico's Jeff Rowland are the other two finalists for the award.\nGarey has 22 goals on the season -- including two goals in 15 seconds in the Terps' 4-1 semifinal win against Southern Methodist Friday, while Rowland has 16 goals with 36 points. Maryland and New Mexico played in Sunday's NCAA championship match as Maryland won 1-0.\nPeterson and Zayner were also semifinalists for the Hermann before the NSCAA made the finalists cut to three Friday. Former Hoosier and current member of the San Jose Earthquakes Danny O'Rourke received the Hermann last season.\nPeterson and Plotkin led the Big Ten in points with 26. Peterson was first in the conference in goals with 12 while Plotkin finished fourth with eight.\nZayner helped anchor a defense in 2005 that was seventh in the nation in shutout percentage as IU did not allow a goal in 13 of 22 matches. The defender said receiving All-American honors was a nice way to go out -- aside from winning a third national title -- since he plans on pursuing opportunities in Major League Soccer.\n"A couple other guys on our team should have been given (All-American honors) like (senior Mike) Ambersley," Zayner said. "I really wish Ambersley would have gotten an honor like this since he was named MVP of our team this season."\nBoth Peterson and Zayner were members of the Big Ten's All-Freshman team in 2003, while the conference coaches named Zayner the Big Ten's Co-Freshman of the Year in the same season.\nThe NSCAA will announce the winner of the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy 7 p.m., Jan. 6, 2006 on ESPNEWS from a ceremony at the Missouri Athletic Club in downtown St. Louis.\n"I'm pretty confident that I won't win the Hermann because Garey and Rowland are having amazing seasons," Plotkin said. "But being in the finals is an honor and being first team All-American is great, and I'm glad my hard work paid off. I just wish my hard work would have paid off for us to be able to play in (Sunday's) championship match"