Richard Bland Places Six Student-Athletes On All-Region X Team

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va. -- Richard Bland College has placed six student-athletes on the 2016 All-Region X Men's Soccer Team. Freshman Dusan Stankovic/Belgrade, Serbia was selected to the First Team. Sophomore Denzel Speed/Williamsburg, along with freshmen Peter Diawuo/Alexandria and Justin Ennis/Gainesville, were each named to the Second Team. Freshmen Eduardo Pessoa/Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Danny Torres/Bucaramanga, Colombia were each Honorable Mention choices. These standouts helped the Statesmen (12-6-2) win their first-ever Region 10 Tournament Championship this past weekend (Oct. 29-30).

"I'm very happy for our young men that received recognition from the conference for their hard work this year," said third-year head coach Eduardo de Souza. "I want to congratulate them for this great accomplishment and say that this is just the beginning of their respective careers! I'm sure these guys will be thanking their teammates first after receiving such an honor."

Stankovic, a midfielder, has started all 20 matches this season while second on the team in scoring with six goals and four assists for 16 points. He has two game-winning goals and is a perfect 3-3 on penalty-kick opportunities.

Speed, a defender, has started all 20 matches this season with one goal for two points. He has led the team defense to seven shutouts.

Diawuo, a midfielder, has started 16 of 20 matches this season while third on the team in scoring with four goals and a team-best seven assists for 15 points. He has one game-winning goal.

Ennis, a goalkeeper, has started 13 of 15 matches this season and played 1191:54 in front of the net with three shutouts, a 1.21 goals against average and 48 saves for a save percentage of .750 percent.

Pessoa, a forward, has started seven of 20 matches this season while leading the team in scoring with a team-best 11 goals and one assist for 23 points. He has two game-winning goals.

Torres, a midfielder, has started nine of 19 matches this season with one goal and two assists totaling four points. He has one game-winning goal and is a perfect 1-1 on penalty-kick opportunities.

Louisburg (N.C.) College sophomore midfielder Andrea Viano, who scored 13 goals with two assists for 28 points this season, was chosen as the Region 10 Player of the Year. Head Coach Martin Dell, who led the Hurricanes to a record of 15-4, including 13-1 in Region 10, was named as the region's Coach of the Year.

Richard Bland, enjoying its finest season in school history, has advanced to the 2016 NJCAA Division I Southeast District Championship on November 4-5, hosted by Daytona State College in Daytona Beach, Florida.