WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior defender Kyle Bedini (Manchester, Conn.) -- who helped lead the Eastern Connecticut State University men’s soccer team to its winningest season in 39 years this past fall -- has been selected to the 2008 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division III All-America Team as a second-team choice.

A four-year member of the program and a three-year starter, Bedini joins forward Glenn Judge as the only All-America selections in program history. A member of the Eastern/E-Club Hall of Fame, Judge was named to the All-America second team after leading the Warriors to a 13-6-0 record under former head coach John Fitzgerald in 1986.

The 6-foot-2 inch, 195 pound Bedini served as a co-captain this past year for Eastern (15-4-3), which equaled the second-highest win total in a season (highest since 1969) in the program’s 48-year history, forged a 14-match unbeaten streak and earned rankings as high as No. 2 in New England and No. 13 nationally.

“Kyle was a rock in the back for us this year,” praised second-year head coach Greg DeVito, who indicated that he did not see a more effective defender than Bedini this season – including those teams which Eastern played and those teams which the head coach scouted or watched in the NCAA Division III tournament. “As an opposing player, you just couldn’t get behind him. He was never out of position on the field. He was just solid. He did a great job reading the game and using his body to shield (opponents) off.

Bedini was one of only six players – and one of only three defeners -- from New England institutions named to the All-America team. A total of 40 players represented 30 different institutions on the All-America team. Twelve players were named to the first team and 14 to the second and third teams.

As Bedini improved throughout his career, so did the Warriors. As a freshman in 2005, Bedini appeared in only eight games off the bench, averaging 20 minutes per outing on an 8-7-1 team which failed to qualify for the Little East Conference tournament; in 2006, Bedini moved into a starting role, starting 16 games and averaging 68.1 minutes for the 7-5-6 team which missed out on an LEC playoff bid on the final day of the regular season; last year, Bedini started 19 games and averaged 87.3 minutes and gained first-team all-conference honors for the 11-7-3 squad which won the LEC regular season and playoff titles and qualified for its first-ever NCAA tournament; as a co-captain this past fall, Bedini started 21 games, averaging 83.7 minutes and repeating first-team all-conference honors for the Warriors, who earned the No. 1 seed in the ECAC New England Tournament and reached the tournament championship match.

Last week, Bedini and junior forward Maxim Fantl (West Hartford, Conn.) were named to the NSCAA/adidas Division III All-New England Region Team as first-team selections, marking the first time in program history that two Eastern players were named to the first team in the same season.

According to DeVito, drastic improvements in fitness and attitude transformed Bedini from a little-used bench player to one of the top defenders in Division III. “I thought Kyle made a huge improvement each year,” praised DeVito, who served as an assistant for two seasons under former head coach Frantz Innocent before taking over the head job in 2007. “Every year, Kyle got himself more and more fit. I remember telling (Innocent) that Kyle would struggle, because of fitness. Improved fitness, combined with soccer smarts and excellent technique made Kyle a complete player. I look at the (graduation) of Kyle as big of a loss as (goalkeeper) Jay Barney was,” added DeVito, noting the graduation loss after the 2007 season of the two-time LEC Defensive Player-of-the-Year.

Behind Bedini this past fall, Eastern’s defense ranked in a tie for first in the conference in overall shutouts (10) and second in least goals allowed overall (20) and least number of keeper saves (87). Bedini played every minute of 12 matches, three of which extended into overtime. Offensively, Bedini was a threat as well, taking the team’s re-starts and contributing four goals and four assists.

The 2007 Little East Conference regular-season and playoff champions, the Warriors finished 4-1-2 in the conference regular season in 2008 and lost to eventual champion Rhode Island College, 2-1, in the conference tournament semifinals at Providence. Seeded No. 1 in the ECAC New England Division III tournament, Eastern won two tournament home games by an 11-0 margin before losing the title game to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 1-0. A winner of 11 straight home games after an opening loss during the season, Eastern was required to play on Coast Guard’s home field in the final after weekend rain made Eastern’s home grass field unplayable for the final.


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