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By Mike Anderson, NKU Sports Information HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - Northern Kentucky University sophomore forward Braden Bishop has been honored as the Daktronics men's soccer Great Lakes Region Player of the Year. In addition to Bishop, defenders Andy Bacon and Dan Impellizzeri and midfielder Tony Capurro were each named to the All-Great Lakes Region first team. Bishop earned All-Great Lakes Region honors for the second consecutive year. He has scored 26 career goals, including 14 this season, and led the Norse in that category each year. Bishop has scored goals in four of NKU's last six games leading up to Friday's NCAA Great Lakes Regional matchup against Gannon. Earlier this season Bishop was named to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference first team, as well as GLVC Offensive Player of the Year. Bacon continues to anchor the Norse defensive corps, which has allowed just eight goals in 21 games this season, and only four to Great Lakes Valley Conference opponents. He also edged his way into the stat sheet during the GLVC Tournament, assisting Steven Beattie's game-winning goal against Wisconsin-Parkside on Oct. 28. Bacon's defensive mastery has resulted in selections as All-GLVC first team and GLVC Defensive Player of the Year. Impellizzeri plays the right flank of the NKU defense effectively, even helping at times to push the Norse attack. The back-to-front pressure has helped earn him five assists over the course of the season to go with an innumerable amount of defensive stops. Impellizzeri adds the honor to his first team All-GLVC selection. Capurro has focused this season more on being a possession midfielder than a striker, but last year's NSCAA/adidas second team All-American is not to be overlooked. One of the best ballhandlers in the nation, Capurro has consistently kept the Norse in striking distance, and he is part of the reason NKU has outshot its opponents by an almost 3-to-1 ratio. Capurro, too, was named All-GLVC firs team this fall. It is the first time since the inception of the Daktronics All-Region award that NKU has earned four first team selections. All four honorees will be eligible for the Daktronics All-American team, which will be announced Nov. 27. NKU (20-1) will host the NCAA Great Lakes Regional this weekend at Town & Country Sports Complex in Wilder, Ky. The top-seeded Norse will take on the No. 4 seed Gannon at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The regional championship is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. 2007 Daktronics Men's Soccer All-Great Lakes Region Teams First Team *Regional Player of the Year Second
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