News

Redmen soccer star Capolungo merits All-Canadian honours

Published: 12 November 2009

LANGLEY, B.C. -- McGill University midfielder Yohann Capolungo, a 21-year-old native of France, has earned all-Canadian second-team status in CIS men's soccer. He becomes the 61st member of the Redmen in school history to merit the honour.

A finance sophomore and a two-time all-star in the QUSL, Capolungo led the Redmen with four goals and added one assist in nine regular season games despite missing three contests with an ankle sprain. He started in every game and in five of those, played the full 90 minutes, earning player-of-the-game honours three times. In 17 games overall heading into the Nationals, he has scored eight goals and three assists for 11 points.

Among the other awards announced during the All-Canadian Banquet, Trinity Western defender Paul Hamilton was named CIS player of the year, Guelph's Robert Murphy of Ottawa, was selected rookie of the year, Saint Mary's Guiseppe Scichilone of Gondola Point, N. B., received the Student-Athlete Community Service award, and Laval's Samir Ghrib earned the coach-of-the-year award, presented by Coaches of Canada.

The 2009 CIS championship gets under way Thursday at Trinity Western University in Langley, B.C. McGill opens against McMaster at 6:30 pm Eastern and SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all main-bracket duels (www.ssncanada.ca or www.cis-sic.ca). The national final is slated for Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

2009 ALL-CANADIAN TEAMS

The all-Canadian teams were also announced on Wednesday, with Montreal and Cape Breton contributing a pair apiece to the first squad.

The 10 players joining Hamilton on the first CIS dream team are Montreal goalkeeper Gerardo Argento of Montreal, Laval's Alexandre Lévesque-Tremblay of Baie-Saint-Paul, Que., UBC's Graham Smith of Abbotsford, B.C., and Toronto's Yannis Gianniotis of Toronto on defence, York's Francesco Bruno of Toronto, Montreal's Alhassane Fox of Conakry, Guinea, Cape Breton's Andrew Rigby of Nottingham, England, and Dalhousie's Ross Hagen of Calgary at midfield, as well as Cape Breton's Keishen Bean of Sandys, Bermuda, and Victoria's Cole McFarlane of Calgary at the striker positions.

Many of them became or were already multiple all-Canadians.

Argento received his fifth nod in five varsity seasons, including four first-team selections. Bruno, the CIS player of the year in 2008, was one of five players named CIS all-stars for the third time along with Hamilton, Lévesque-Tremblay, Smith and McFarlane. Bean was a second-team member a year ago.

The second CIS squad for 2009 is comprised of Laurentian keeper Scott Cliff of Hanmer, Ont., York's Franco Ruscetta of Woodbridge, Ont., UPEI's Nathan Snowie of Harrington, P.E.I., and UNB's Ken Morrison of Fredericton on defence, McGill's Yohann Capolungo of Vallan, France, Saskatchewan's Josh Northey of Saskatoon, Moncton's Olivier Babineau of Dieppe, N.B., Ryerson's Alex Braletic of Thornhill, Ont., and Alberta's Brett Colvin of Calgary at midfield, as well as Laval's Gabriel Moreau of St-Hyacinthe, Que., and Trent's Thaddeus Bolton of Bowmanville, Ont., as the strikers.

Morrison was named a CIS all-star for the third straight year, including a first-team nod in 2007. Babineau was a first-team all-Canadian last season, while Colvin found a spot on the second constellation for a second consecutive campaign.

2009 CIS MEN'S SOCCER AWARDS & ALL-CANADIANS

Joe Johnson Memorial trophy (player of the year): Paul Hamilton, Trinity Western

Rookie of the year: Robert Murphy, Guelph

Student-Athlete Community Service award: Guiseppe Scichilone, Saint Mary's

Coach of the year, presented by Coaches of Canada: Samir Ghrib, Laval

First Team

Position Athlete University Year Hometown Faculty

Goalkeeper Gerardo Argento Montreal 5 Montreal, Que. Law

Defender Paul Hamilton Trinity Western 4 Calgary, Alta. Education

Defender Alexandre Lévesque-Tremblay Laval 5 Baie-Saint-Paul, Que. Law

Defender Graham Smith UBC 5 Abbotsford, B.C. Commerce

Defender Yannis Gianniotis Toronto 3 Toronto, Ont. History/Geography

Midfield Francesco Bruno York 4 Toronto, Ont. Business & Society

Midfield Alhassane Fox Montreal 2 Conakry, Guinea Criminology

Midfield Andrew Rigby Cape Breton 1 Nottingham, England BACS

Midfield Ross Hagen Dalhousie 4 Calgary, Alta. Commerce

Striker Keishen Bean Cape Breton 2 Sandys, Bermuda BACS

Striker Cole McFarlane Victoria 5 Calgary, Alta. Humanities

Second Team

Goalkeeper Scott Cliff Laurentian 5 Hanmer, Ont. Physical Education

Defender Franco Ruscetta York 5 Woodbridge, Ont. Business

Defender Nathan Snowie UPEI 3 Harrington, P.E.I. Business Administration

Defender Ken Morrison UNB 5 Fredericton, N.B Kinesiology

Midfield Yohann Capolungo McGill 2 Vallan, France Arts & Science (Economics & Math)

Midfield Josh Northey Saskatchewan 3 Saskatoon, Sask. Arts & Science

Midfield Olivier Babineau Moncton 4 Dieppe, N.B. Kinesiology

Midfield Alex Braletic Ryerson 2 Thornhill, Ont. Engineering

Midfield Brett Colvin Alberta 3 Calgary, Alta. Business

Striker Gabriel Moreau Laval 3 St-Hyacinthe, Que. Sciences

Striker Thaddeus Bolton Trent 4 Bowmanville, Ont. Business Administration

McGill's 61 CIS All-Canadians

1978 Guarcia Nunes
1978 Walmir DaSilva
1979 Brian Decaire
1980 Brian Decaire
1980 *Jim Takets
1981 Brian Decaire
1982 John D'Ambrosio
1982 Guy-Marie Joseph
1982 Dr. Dickens St. Vil
1983 Dr. Dickens St. Vil
1983 Guy-Marie Joseph
1983 Aldo Braccio
1983 Marc Nöe
1984 Graham Butcher
1984 *Alastair McDonald
1984 *Aldo Braccio
1984 *Marc Nöe
1985 *Aldo Braccio
1985 *Mike Gray
1986 John Hayward
1986 *Aldo Braccio
1986 *Bertrand Coudraye
1986 Mike Gray
1987 *John Hayward
1987 Ilias Konstantopolous
1988 *Julian Barrow
1988 Felice Mastrostefano
1989 Julian Barrow
1989 J.P. Vialard
1989 *John Hayward
1990 Julian Barrow
1990 *Rick Taweel
1990 J.P. Vialard
1991 *Bert Lee
1991 Joe Martucci
1991 Christopher Drysdale
1992 Christopher Drysdale
1992 *Adam Mar
1993 *Marc-Antoine Larochelle
1993 Christopher Drysdale
1994 Christopher Drysdale
1994 Brian Rae
1995 *Adam Mar
1996 Marc Mounicot
1996 *Anthony Watine
1996 *Gabriel Gervais
1997 Marc Labrom
1997 Marc Mounicot
1998 Sean Shepherd
1998 *Gaetano Zullo
1999 *Jason Forsyth
1999 Rehan Ali
2000 Gaetano Zullo
2000 Eddy Zuppel
2000 Guy Anaba Anaba
2002 Alexandre Scott
2002 Derek Tsang
2004 Alexandre Scott
2006 *James Scholefield
2008 *James Scholefield
2009 *Yohann Capolungo

*second team