Published: December 27, 2008 11:30 pm      

Zac Lipscomb Player of Year

Senior won Area, AMAC scoring titles, set school records for goals, points

CUMBERLAND — Northern’s Zac Lipscomb, who ran away with the area scoring championship and set school records for career goals and points, was voted the Edward C. “Ebbie” Finzel high school boys soccer Player of the Year by area coaches.

Lipscomb, who led coach Lynn Lais’ Huskies to a 12-3-1 record and second place in the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference, is the second Northern standout to be named player of the year. The other was Elijah Lais, who shared last year’s top honor with Mountain Ridge’s Jared Lopez.

The Huskies scored an area-high 59 goals this year, and Lipscomb had a part in two-thirds of those goals, scoring an area-leading 31 goals and assisting on nine others in 16 games for 71 points and a 4.43 scoring average.

He boasted an even higher scoring average in winning the AMAC scoring crown for the second straight year. He had 14 goals and five assists in the seven conference games for 33 points and a 4.71 mark.

“Zac is a player who can play anywhere on the field and dominate that area, offensively or defensively,’’ said Northern coach Lynn Lais. “He appears to have springs in his legs and won as many or more defensive headers as offensive ones. He is fast, but it is his quickness that makes him so devastating.

“Zac’s ability to turn on a dime at full speed and accelerate in the opposite direction makes him nearly impossible to defend with one player. He lives for one-on-one. He is single-minded when driving to the goal and relentless in his pursuit of the ball.”

Lipscomb, the Offensive Player of the Year as a junior, averaged a goal a game over his four-year, 63-game high school career. He is Northern’s all-time leader in career goals (63) and points (157). He also had 31 career assists, and is second all-time at Northern in scoring average, at 2.49.

In the last two seasons in the AMAC, the two-time scoring champ had 23 goals and 13 assists in 14 games for a hefty 4.21 average.

“Zac is technically sound and is a player who can single-handedly take over a game. He’s also a humble player, committed to his team and a respected leader. It’s been a privilege to have been involved with Zac the past several years in club as well as high school soccer,” said Lais.

Lipscomb led Northern to a 49-12-2 record in his four seasons as a starter. The Huskies had double figures in wins in all four seasons, including 15-2 with a share of the area championship during his junior year. He also played club soccer for the Frostburg Flames.

Contact Mike Mathews at mmathews@times-news.com.