Liberty's Boateng selected to All-America Team

Liberty’s Joshua Boateng has been named to the 2008 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer All-America team, becoming the first player in program history to earn selection to a Division I All-America team.
 
Boateng was named to the squad’s third team as a midfielder.  He is one of 13 midfielders named to All-America teams. The native of Accra, Ghana, is the fourth Liberty men’s soccer player to garner All-American recognition.  Paul Annan, who garnered selections in 1984, 1985 and 1986, and Sam Johnson, who received selections in 1985 and 1986, were named NCAA Division II All-Americans.  Robert Hammond earned NCCAA All-American status in 1978.
 
Boateng, who completed his Liberty career this past fall, has been invited to participate in the 2009 adidas Major League Soccer (MLS) Combine. He becomes the first Flame to be invited to the combine.  The forward/midfielder is one of 65 college seniors invited to the combine.
 
During Boateng’s three years at Liberty, the Flames posted a 32-16-5 record, and last season, won the Big South Championship.  For his play during Liberty’s first-ever conference title run, Boateng was named the Big South Tournament MVP.
 
This past fall, the forward/midfielder was a first-team All-South Atlantic and All-Big South performer in his final season at Liberty.  Boateng compiled 32 points on 13 goals and six assists during the year, tying him for fifth on the program’s single-season points list. His 13 goals also tie him for sixth on the Liberty single-season goal list. The Hermann Trophy candidate ranked 12th in the nation in points per game (1.78) and 13th in goals per game (0.72). Boateng led the Big South in points per game, goals per game and was tied for first in game-winning goals with five.
 
Thirty schools were represented on the NSCAA/addidas NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer All-America team. Defending national champion Wake Forest placed five players on the squad, while six others, Akron, Creighton, Harvard, Illinois-Chicago, Loyola (Md.) and Cal-Davis each placed two players on the team. Eleven players earned All-American recognition for the second time.