Army West Point Athletics
Guerra & Atkinson Selected to United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region Team
December 07, 2022 | Men's Soccer
KANSAS CITY, MO – Army West Point men's soccer saw two cadet-athletes named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Region team, announced on Tuesday.
Sophomore forward Gage Guerra landed on the first team while junior defender Nick Atkinson earned second team honors.
Guerra led the line for Army all season during his breakout sophomore campaign, scoring ten goals on his way to earning Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and All-PL First Team honors. The Houston, TX native showed up when Army needed him most as well, scoring the game-winning goal in the Army-Navy Cup along with a second half equalizer in the Patriot League semifinals. The sophomore was at his best during conference play, scoring nine times against fellow Patriot League opponents, including a pair of braces on the road versus Holy Cross and Boston University. Adding three assists to his ledger, he also led the conference in points with 23. Guerra was the only Patriot League player selected to the region's first team.
Atkinson played a key a role as any in Army's success this season, appearing in all 17 games (16 starts) while logging the most minutes on the team with 1514 at fullback. While contributing on the backline, Atkinson made the most of his opportunities going forward, specifically off set pieces. The junior scored in back-to-back games at Malek Stadium against Cleveland State and Florida Atlantic during the the non-conference schedule, before scoring again on the road at Seton Hall to help Army earn a 1-1 draw. The native of Raleigh, NC came up clutch for the Black Knights against Bucknell, scoring a brace to spearhead a come-from-behind victory at home to earn a pivotal three points. Adding assists versus Boston University and Colgate, Atkinson landed second on the team in goals (5) and points (12) on his way to earning All-Patriot League first team recognition.
The duo helped Army to its most successful season in over 25 years, as Army won the Patriot League Regular Season Championship for the first time since 1996. Army posted a 8-4-5 overall record including a 5-1-3 mark in conference play, suffering just one loss across the final 13 games of the regular season.
For a full list of the All-Atlantic Region Team, click HERE.
