Drew's men's soccer's 2009 Landmark Conference Regular Season championship was rewarded with a number of post-season honors. Senior defender John Jabar was named the Landmark's Defensive Player of the Year while Lenny Armuth and his staff was selected by its peers as the Conference's Coaching Staff of the Year. Seniors Anthony Pisani and Greg Zizik joined Jabar on the All-Landmark First Team. Junior Curits Fornarotto and senior keeper David Brigandi represented the Rangers on the Second Team.

John Jabar capped his stellar senior season by being selected as the Landmark's Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-Landmark First Team. Jabar led the Ranger defense to the NCAA's sixth best Team Goals Against Average (0.42) and fourth best Shutout Percentage (0.72). The Rangers allowed just two goals in Landmark games during the regular season with Jabar's central defensive dominance a key factor. Twice he was named the Defensive Player of the Week as he started all 19 games and recorded one assist. Jabar, an economics major, was a Second Team All-Landmark selection last season.

“The most impressive thing about John's play is his determination to win the ball,” said Armuth. “Whenever it is in the air, John calls for it and almost always wins it. He is one of the hardest tacklers I've ever had at Drew. His physical play and willingness to give up his body for the team set the tone for us for the last two seasons.”

Tony Pisani and Greg Zizik join Jabar on the First Team. Pisani earned his second straight All-Landmark First Team nod by starting every game at center midfield and leading the Rangers in scoring. The senior netted four goals and assisted on two others. For his career, the Wyckoff, NJ native has played in 75 games for Drew while scoring 11 goals, four of which were game winners.

“When Tony is on his game, he is one of the best midfielders around,” said Armuth. “He creates scoring chances and finishes them. On defense, he works hard and can win the ball back for us. There were many games when he was the best player on the field.”

Greg Zizik became the Drew's first four-time First Team All-Conference player since Marvin Lopez C'98. The Landmark's Offensive Player of the Year last season, Zizik's senior season was decimated by an injury in preseason. The senior returned to score four times in Landmark Conference games including two game-winners. Often double-teamed by the opposing defense, Zizik was still able to lead the team in Landmark scoring. 

One of the most prolific scorers in Drew's history, Zizik ranks eighth all-time in goals at Drew with 39 and seventh in points with 92. He was a first-team All-Freedom Conference selection and conference Rookie of the Year as a freshman. In 2007 as a sophomore, he was a first team All-Landmark selection. That season he tied for Landmark lead in points with 20 and nine goals, had three game winning goals and was named the Landmark Conference Player of the Week for Championship week as he scored game-winner with a bent corner kick in the semis against Susquehanna and scored the game-winner in the finals with a free kick against Scranton. In 2008, the Cinnaminson native was the Landmark Conference Offensive Player of the Year, a First Team All-Landmark Conference selection and a Second Team NSCAA Regional All-American selection. He scored 16 goals, assisted on nine others for 41 points to led the Landmark in points and goals and rank second in assists.

Last, but certainly not least, Head Coach Lenny Armuth was selected by his peers as conference Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his tenure at Drew. Armuth and his staff guided the Rangers out of some early season struggles to the Landmark Conference Regular Season title for the second straight season. The Rangers' defense emerged as one of the best in the country and certainly the stingiest in the Landmark despite injuries to goalkeepers Jeff Rogers and Brigandi and Zizik. Armuth has taken his Ranger teams to the conference playoff every season at Drew and will reach additional post-season play for the 15th consecutive year. Armuth and his assistants, Cesar Barrientos, Eric Studnicky and Paul Johnson guided the Rangers to a 5-1 regular season record.

A pair of Rangers was named to the All-Landmark second team. Junior defender Curtis Fornarotto and senior keeper David Brigandi were both crucial parts of the Rangers' nationally ranked defense. Fornarotto started all 19 games in the center of defense with Jabar as Drew posted a 0.29 Goals Against Average in Landmark play. Brigandi was the starting keeper for the majority of those games. The senior came on as a sub for Jeff Rogers during the conference opener at Moravian and would go on to maintain that shutout and post three more as the Rangers' starting keeper. Brigandi allowed just six goals all season while recording a .818 save percentage and a 0.62 GAA to earn his first All-Landmark honors.

LANDMARK HONORS STUDENTS ON MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

MADISON, N.J. – The Landmark Conference has honored twenty-four student-athletes with selections to the to the 2009 All-Landmark Conference Men's Soccer team as voted by the conference's eight head coaches. The inaugural All-Landmark Team includes a first and second team with 12 honorees on each team, with the selections being made by position. The voting for the All-Conference Team took place after the conclusion of the regular season and prior to the start of the Landmark postseason.

Regular season conference champion Drew University earned the most honorees with five selections while three other teams earned four honorees. Drew senior defender John Jabar was voted the Defensive Player of the Year, while Head Coach Lenny Armuth and his staff were picked as the Coaching Staff of the Year. The United States Merchant Marine Academy claimed the other two individual awards as senior forward Clint Foster was chosen as the Offensive Player of the Year and freshman defender Kurt Olsen (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day) was voted the Rookie of the Year. Seniors dominated the voting as 11 of the 12 spots on the first team were claimed by seniors. All eight Landmark institutions earned at least one spot on the All-Conference Team.