CHARLOTTE, N.C., December 10, 2019 – The 2019 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Champion Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team landed three student-athletes on the 2019 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer All-America First Team, as announced by the NJCAA on Friday.
 
Tobias Pellio, Luca Erhardt and Oliver Semmle represent the Mustangs on the 2019 All-American team. The three representatives from Monroe are tied with national runner-up Eastern Florida State College for the most All-Americans in general, but the Mustangs lead the way with all three players on the First Team.
 
Pellio turned a strong season into an excellent postseason, which resulted in his selection as the 2019 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship Most Valuable Player. Pellio scored five goals this season, three of which came in the semifinals and finals of the national tournament. Pellio provided the first two goals in a 3-0 victory over No. 11 Illinois Central College in the semifinal round. He then scored the game-winning goal in the championship game on a penalty kick. Pellio also earned Region XV Player of the Year honors earlier this season.
 
Erhardt finished the 2019 season as the NJCAA's leading scorer. His 31 goals gave him a three-score lead on the next closest student-athlete, while his 68 points were the most by five. He finishes second in the nation with 1.72 goals per game, as well as second with 3.78 points per game. Erhardt scored at least once in 15-of-18 games this season and scored multiple goals nine times. Erhardt was also selected to the Region XV All-Region Team.
 
Semmle had an outstanding season with the Mustangs in 2019. Despite splitting time evenly with 2018 NJCAA All-American Victor Camps to make a dynamic goalkeeper duo for the Mustangs, Semmle managed to lead the NJCAA in both save percentage (.926) and goals-against average (0.22) this season. Semmle allowed just two goals all season and finished the year with a perfect 9-0-0 record. Semmle was also named to the Region XV All-Region Team.
 
The Mustangs accomplished everything they possibly could in 2019, winning the Region XV, East District, and ultimately, the NJCAA Championships. The Mustangs won all 18 of their 2019 contests, and ranked No. 1 in the nation from the first week of the rankings until the final week. Monroe now adds three First-Team All-Americans to its list of accomplishments in 2019.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).