Rider men's soccer player Christian Flath named NSCAA All-American

Rider University senior men’s soccer student-athlete Christian Flath has been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America Second Team, the organization has announced. Flath, a First Team All-Region and Second Team All-MAAC selection, becomes the fifth Broncs men’s soccer player to earn All-America honors and the first since 1972. Flath joins Ed Adams (1956), Frank Nerwinski (1959), John Wagner (1967) and Bob Smith (1972) as Rider men’s soccer All-Americans. Flath led Rider to back-to-back Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament Championships in the last two seasons to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998.  "The first thing out of Christian's mouth after finding out he was an All-American this was an award meant to be shared with the entire team, especially the class of seniors that he came here with,” says Rider Men’s Soccer Head Coach Charlie Inverso. “During the four years in which that class was here, they created a 55-game turnaround in the program’s record from the previous four years. Christian and Adrien Huss, who has been his roommate for four years, have been the catalysts of this class. It may sound funny, but Christian's most important year may have been his freshman year because that year really set the stage for the resurgence in the program. We struggled to score goals that year and had been 7-27 the two previous seasons. In his freshman year, Christian played a part in two-thirds of the goals we scored and we manufactured so many goals from his free kicks and serves from free kicks. Without his talent in that area we would have most likely only have won three games and the turnaround that happened in the program might never have happened.”
Flath, a three-time First Team All-MAAC selection prior to this season, earned Second Team this year after playing just 11 games in the regular season due to an injury. Flath also earned his second-straight NSCAA All-Region selection. He returned for the MAAC Championships, scoring a goal and adding two assists in two games to lead the Broncs to the title. In 65 career games, Flath compiled 71 points, including 25 goals.
“In the three years that followed his freshman year, Christian helped lead us to new heights, including back-to-back MAAC Championships,” says Inverso. “Despite being a marked man, Christian did whatever it took to will us to win. I really believe he has a good chance of playing as a pro in the near future. Christian was the whole package in his four years here at Rider, a great example of what a Rider student-athlete should be. He was a great teammate, a three-time MAAC All Academic Selection and just a tremendous person. We couldn't be happier for him. They don't come any better than Christian."