DePaul University Athletics
Vroom Lands Another Soccer Award
12/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S SOCCER
CHICAGO - The awards just keep on coming for DePaul's standout soccer forward Steffen Vroom.
Vroom was named to the All-Great Lakes Region second team on Monday by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
On the same day of his latest honor, Vroom and Blue Demon teammate Patrick Hopkins left for an invitation-only tryout with the Carolina RailHawks of the newly formed North American Soccer League. The tryout is Tuesday through Thursday in Cary, N.C.
This latest accolade comes just three days after the senior from Libertyville was accorded Honorable Mention on the Men's College Soccer Team of the Season by TopDrawerSoccer.com. That placed Vroom among the top 50 Division I players in the country.
Prior to these two awards, Vroom was named All-BIG EAST First Team on Nov. 5 in Morgantown, W. Va.
He became the first Blue Demon field player to earn such a distinction. In 2007, Brian Visser was chosen as the conference's Goalkeeper of the Year and also First-Team All-BIG EAST.
Vroom led DePaul in points this season with 20 and tied with Alex Mangan for the most goals with eight. He finished among the BIG EAST leaders in points and goals, and came through in the clutch with three game-winning goals.
Vroom will attend the Seattle Sounders' team combine in Las Vegas on Friday. The Sounders are the Major League Soccer franchise that appears the most interested in drafting him at the 2010 MLS SuperDraft Jan. 14 in Philadelphia.
The MLS has invited Vroom to its player combine Jan. 8-12 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. where he'll perform in front of MLS coaches and management.
Vroom's best performances came in the week of Sept. 7-13 when he scored the first goal in consecutive victories over then-No. 9 Northwestern (2-1), then-No. 8 UC Irvine (3-2) and Buffalo (5-1).
That feat earned him BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors along with being named National Player of the Week by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Soccer America. He was named Most Valuable Player of the Marquette Invitational after his performances against UC Irvine and Buffalo.
Vroom was BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week again on Oct. 12 after scoring the game-winning goals in victories over Cincinnati and Rutgers.
DePaul finished 8-9-3 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship where the Blue Demons tied Red Division champion Louisville 1-1, but the Cardinals advanced on penalty kicks, 3-2.