ROCK HILL, SC—The Big South Conference as part of its 30th Anniversary celebration announced its first ever All-Decade Teams as Winthrop had 11 players represented among the three separate decades.
The Eagles were represented by Larry Tavino (1984-89), Alex Herrera (1984-89), Gary Baker (1990-99), Ian Cardey (1990-99), Saidi Isaac (2000-09), Daniel Revivo (2000-09), Vali Arnason (2000-09), Donald Macgregor (2000-09), David Gary (2000-09), Henry Kalungi (2000-09) and Patrick Mitrovich (2000-09).
Tavino made the team as a midfielder as he played two seasons with the Eagles and had 20 goals with 15 assists as he earned NSCAA All-America honors and NAIA All-America honors in 1984. He was also an NSCAA All-Region selection in 1983 and 1984 as well as NAIA All-Area those two years and NAIA All-District 6 in 1983. Herrera was a four-year starter that started 78 games in his career as a defender. He tallied 15 goals and 16 assists in his career that led to All-Big South Conference honors in 1986.
Baker and Cardey were the lone selections on the 1990-99 team, as both played side-by-side for four straight years. The two of them anchored the Eagle defense four straight seasons and were both named All-Big South four straight years. They were the first two Winthrop players to earn all-conference honors all four years. Baker started 74-of-76 career games and had seven goals and 20 assists. Cardey started all 74 games he played and finished with five goals and seven assists. Baker also earned All-Big South Conference Tournament honors in 1991, and NSCAA Academic All-Region 1st Team (1992-94). Cardey was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team in 1994 and was also a three-time NSCAA All-Region selection.
The 2000-09 team featured seven Winthrop players, which were the most of any school. Isaac was a three-year starter for the Eagles as he enjoyed one of the best careers in school history, like many of the players selected to the all-decade teams. Isaac was a TopDrawerSoccer.com All-America selection in 2006 and was the Big South Conference Player of the Year in 2007. He scored 47 goals in 58 career games with the Eagles and also finished with 15 assists. He earned National Team of the Week four times in his career and was named to the Herman Trophy Watch List in 2007. He was also an NSCAA All-Region selection three times (2005-07) and three-time All-Big South selection.
Revivo ended his career as the all-time leading scorer for Winthrop at the NCAA Division I level with 50 goals and 25 assists as a four-year starter. He had 15 career game-winning goals. He tallied four hat tricks in his career with perhaps the biggest one as a sophomore in the 2006 Big South Conference Championship game that earned him Tournament MVP honors. The 2008 College Soccer News All-America selection scored his biggest goal of his career in double-overtime against Coastal Carolina in the 2008 Big South Championship for a 4-3 victory. He was a five-time Big South Conference Player of the Week, earned NSCAA All-Region honors twice and was named All-Big South in 2006 and 2008.
Arnason is one of two midfielders as he finished his career as one of the most decorated players in school history. Arnason finished his career 43 goals (5th all-time) and 12 assists. He was a four-time All-Big South selection and named the Big South Player of the Year in 2001. In 2002 he earned Big South Tournament MVP honors in helping the Eagles to their first ever Big South Conference Championship. He was also a three-time NSCAA All-Region selection and a 2003 NSCAA/Adidas Academic All-America Third Team.
Macgregor started his career as a defender but played the majority in the midfield and was a four-year starter. He joined Baker, Cardey and Arnason as the only four-time All-Big South selections when he ended his career. He missed just one game in his career as the team played 80 games during his years and he made 79 starts. Macgregor scored 19 goals and had 17 assists. He was named to the Big South All-Tournament Team in 2001. In 2002 and 2003 he was an NSCAA All-Academic All-Region selection and in CoSIDA Capital one Academic All-District selection those same years.
Garry finished his career as a four-time All-Big South selection and as a freshman anchored the defense of the 2002 Big South Championship team. He played in 78 games and finished with two goals and eight assists. He earned Big South All-Tournament Team honors in 2002 and 2003 and named NSCAA All-Region in 2003 and 2005.
Kalungi played three seasons with the Eagles as a starter and helped the team capture Big South Championships in 2006 and 2008. He played in 56 games and had five goals with two game-winners and three assists. Kalungi was a three-time All-Big South and NSCAA All-Region selection. He was also named to the Big South All-Tournament Team in 2006. He currently plays professionally for the Richmond Kickers and has played in the African Nation’s Cup and World Cup Qualifiers for his home nation of Uganda.
Mitrovich finished his career as the school’s all-time leader in career goals against average at 0.89. Mitrovich sported a career record of 44-16-7 with 19 career shutouts. He logged more minutes in goal than any goalie in school history with over 6,600. His goals against average in 2007 and 2008 are still ranked in the Big South Top 10 for a season. His career GAA ranks third all-time in the Big South history. He was selected as the 2005 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year and was a three-time All-Big South selection. He earned Big South Tournament Honors in 2006 and helped the team capture two conference titles in his four seasons.
A committee of Big South Conference administrators served as the official voting panel to determine the All-Decade Teams, with fan voting comprising 20 percent of the overall total. Men’s Soccer became a Conference sport in 1984, and each team features four forwards, four midfielders, four defenders, one goalkeeper and one head coach. In case of ties, additional honorees are included.