PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) continued to notice the upstart Ashford University men's soccer program, honoring three individuals to the NAIA All-Midwest Region Team in a recent announcement.

Freshman midfielder/defender Geraldo Garza of Rockford, Ill., senior forward Eddie Garza of Rockford, Ill., and senior defender Damian Ryan of Davenport were selected to the prestigious team.

The recent offseason news comes shortly after AU Head Coach Richard Markham was named the NSCAA/Mondo Midwest Region Coach of the Year in NAIA competition.

The Saints claimed three of the All-Midwest Region Team's 11 selections. Columbia College (Mo.) had four honorees.

"I'm ecstatic about having this honor because there are a lot of good players on our team," Markham said. "It's a huge accomplishment for this program and for a player like Eddie (Garza), who had a wonderful senior season, it's a tremendous honor."

All three Saints selected are no strangers to collecting hardware.

The younger Garza, Geraldo, was an NAIA Honorable Mention All-American, Midwest Collegiate Conference Newcomer of the Year and All-MCC selection. Eddie Garza was another All-MCC pick following a season that featured a team-high 14 goals and five assists. Ryan, the first of AU's staggering 11 conference players of the week back in September, was the backbone of a stalwart defense that pitched 12 shutouts.

2009 NSCAA Men's NAIA All-Midwest Region
        Name                   Year       School                Hometown    
K     Ken Searles         Jr.     Columbia (Mo.)     St. George's, Grenada    
D     Geraldo Garza      Fr.     Ashford                 Rockford, Ill.    
D     Damian Ryan        Sr.    Ashford                 Davenport, Iowa    
D    Nikola Velickovic   Fr.     Columbia (Mo.)    Cacak, Serbia    
M    Lloyd Jacobs         Sr.    Columbia (Mo.)     Stokesley, England    
M    Eddie Garza           Sr.     Ashford                  Rockford, Ill.    
M    Gustavo Oliveira    Sr.    Judson                   Rio de Janiero, Brazil    
M    Dylan Barduzzi       So.   Columbia (Mo.)     Florianapolis, Brazil    
F     Liam Barrett           Fr.     Illinois Tech          Felixstowe, England    
F     Andrew Lichaj       Sr.     Illinois Tech          Downers Grove, Ill.    
F     Yudai Yamaguchi Fr.     Columbia (Mo.)     Tokyo, Japan