SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State men's soccer head coach Matt Nelson has been named as the Southern Conference Coach of the Year by the league's coaches. In addition, five Mountaineers were named as all-conference and all-freshman selections in Tuesday's announcement.

In the role as acting head coach, Nelson took over coaching duties following the death of Shaun Pendleton in September. He led the Mountaineers on a remarkable run of 11 straight matches without a defeat (7-0-4) immediately after taking charge of the squad. The streak was ASU's longest since 1978 while the team has also set a new school record with 11 shutouts this season. The team's 10 victories tie the most in a season since 2002.

Nelson expressed sincere appreciation for those who assisted him in earning the award. "This season would have never been as successful as it has without the help of a lot of people. First off, the support shown by the administration throughout the year has been fantastic. Then, I would have to recognize my assistants Drake Branson and Tom Davies. This is an award that the entire staff should be recognized for, and I would like to thank each of them for their hard work and dedication to the program here at Appalachian."

Nelson is the first ASU mentor to earn Coach of the Year honors from his peers since Aiden Heaney in 2000.

Senior Sean Dreybus was selected to the all-conference second team after leading the Apps in goals scored this season. Dreybus was a 2010 first-team selection and a member of the '08 all-freshman team.

Classmate Ryan Duffy received his first league honors after being named second team all-conference as a defender.

Junior Lee Williams rounded out the second-team defensive line for his second selection to an all-SoCon squad.

In addition to the all-conference teams, the coaches also selected an 11-player all-freshman team. Appalachian State forwards Sekani Sinclair and Nicholas Skoda were honored as two of the SoCon's best newcomers.

The SoCon men's soccer season concludes this weekend as Appalachian hosts the semifinals and final of the 2011 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Championship. ASU will face UNCG in the first semifinal 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 11 at ASU Soccer Stadium.

Elon and Furman will clash at 6:30 p.m. Friday with the winners of both matches squaring off in the championship match Sunday at 1 p.m.