IRVING, Texas – Tulsa men’s soccer senior defender Mariano Fazio added another honor to his outstanding 2021 season on Thursday, earning a spot on the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team. Fazio became the seventh All-American in Golden Hurricane program history and the first Tulsa player to claim the honor since 2009.
 
On the way a conference championship and NCAA Championship Third Round appearance for the Golden Hurricane in 2021, Fazio became just the second Tulsa player to earn American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Bradley Bourgeois – 2015). Fazio started on the Golden Hurricane back line in all 19 matches over the course of the season and tallied two goals while helping Tulsa post nine team shutouts.
 
Fazio was one of 11 players representing The American to earn 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s East Region awards on Tuesday, as five Tulsa players (Fazio, Alex Meinhard and Til Zinnhardt – first team; Chase Bromstedt and Alex Lopez – second team) were named all-region to lead the conference. Four players from SMU (Knut Ahlander and Gabriel Costa – second team; Brandon Terwege and Papa Ndoye – third team) and two players from UCF (Lucca Dourado and Gino Vivi – second team) rounded out American honorees on all-region squads.
 
2021 American Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer
United Soccer Coaches Postseason Awards
 
NCAA Division I All-America Third Team
Mariano Fazio, Sr., D, Tulsa
 
NCAA Division I All-East Region First Team
Mariano Fazio, Sr., D, Tulsa
Til Zinnhardt, Jr., D, Tulsa
Alex Meinhard, So., F, Tulsa
 
NCAA Division I All-East Region Second Team
Lucca Dourado, So., F, UCF
Gino Vivi, Jr., F, UCF
Knut Ahlander, Sr., M, SMU
Gabriel Costa, Sr., M, SMU
Chase Bromstedt, Grad, M/D, Tulsa
Alex Lopez, Fr., GK, Tulsa
 
NCAA Division I All-East Region Third Team
Papa Ndoye, Jr., F, SMU
Brandon Terwege, Grad, D, SMU