Trio of Golden Rams Earn D2CCA All-Region Honors; Markopoulos Named to First Team
ATHENS, W.V.- The Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) released its Men's Soccer All-Region teams on Tuesday morning, and West Chester (11-5-5), who made its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2019 season, was well represented, landing three players on the All-Region squad. Andrew Markopoulos (Drexel Hill, Pa./Msgr. Bonner & Prendie) was the lone First Team selection for the Golden Rams, while Daniel Good (Exton, Pa./Downingtown East) and Jack Dieffenderfer (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) captured Second Team honors.
Markopoulos and Good are both two-time All-Region selections, while Dieffenderfer earns his first career All-Region certificate with today's honor. With his first-team honor, Markopoulos advances to the D2CCA All-America Ballot, which opens for voting later this week.
Markopoulos tied for the team lead in goals in 2023, scoring six goals on the year, including a pair of game-winners, scoring the winner against both Jefferson and the University of the District of Columbia earlier this season. The senior defender was 3-for-4 on penalty kicks in 2023, increasing his career record to 5-for-6 on PKs in his career. In addition to his offensive contributions, Markopoulos also helped anchor the Golden Ram defense, which held opponents to an average of just 0.86 goals and just 3.9 shots on goal per game.
Good enjoyed another outstanding season in goal for the Golden Rams, playing to a record of 11-5-5 on the year with a 0.84 goals-against average and 10 shutouts. This effort allowed Good to set the program record for career wins (42), goals-against average (0.99), and shutouts (26) while also setting the single-season shutout record with his ten clean sheets.
Dieffenderfer, the final All-Region honoree for the Golden Rams, copped his first career All-Region certificate after a stellar season, which saw him score six goals and add three assists for a team-high 15 points. The junior, who was a PSAC East Athlete of the Week earlier this season after a two-goal effort in a road victory over Millersville, ended the year tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with two, scoring the winners against Millersville and unbeaten Gannon in the PSAC Semifinals.
West Chester concluded its 2023 season with a record of 11-5-5, advancing to the PSAC Championship game for the first time since 2018 before earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2019 season before falling to Post in penalty kicks.
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