ITHACA, N.Y. - Four members of the Ithaca men’s soccer team earned all-conference recognition as the Empire 8 announced its 2009 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Teams. Senior back Michael Jordhamo (Arlington/Hopewell Junction) was named to the First Team for the second consecutive year.
Junior midfielder Jeff Geyer (Rham/Hebron, Conn.) was voted to the Second Team. Junior forward Fernando Casanova (Loyola/Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) and junior midfielder Matt Baluzy (Franklin Delano Roosevelt/Salt Point) earned Honorable Mention.
Jordhamo earned a spot on the Empire 8 all-star team for the third consecutive year. He helped Ithaca to five shutouts as a member of the defense. He had a goal and an assist in Ithaca’s 3-0 win over Marywood. Jordhamo appeared in every game of his collegiate career and started 53 consecutive games on defense covering the final game of his freshman year through the next three years. Jordhamo was also named as Ithaca’s representative on the Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year team, which honors players for competing with honor and integrity.
It is the second year in a row that at least one Bomber earned three or more consecutive all-conference honors as goalkeeper Andy Wilhelm and midfielder Kurt Odenbach did the same in 2008.
Geyer earned his second career Empire 8 all-star nod after being a first team selection in 2008. He led Ithaca midfielders in scoring with two goals and two assists in 15 games.
Casanova was Ithaca’s leading scorer with five goals and two assists for 12 points. He was named Empire 8 Player of the Week on October 18 after scoring two goals in a span of 20 seconds to lift the Bombers to a 2-1 conference win over Utica. They are the two fastest goals scored by the same player in Ithaca history.
Baluzy earned his first Empire 8 all-star honor. He was one of four players to start all 16 games for Ithaca and finished the year with two goals, including the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win at Cortland.
The Bombers finished the season with a winning record (7-6-3) for the eighth year in a row.