Grella & Videira Earn All-America Accolades

DURHAM, N.C. --- Junior forward Mike Grella and senior midfielder Michael Videira were named recipients of All-America honors on Monday, announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Grella earned second team accolades and Videira was named to the third team for the second consecutive season. 11 of the 38 players named to the three squads hail from ACC schools.

Grella, a junior from Glen Cove, N.Y., was a first-team All-ACC selection and a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy as national player of the year. He led the Blue Devils with 10 goals this season and added six assists for 26 points. Grella was tops in the ACC with six game-winning goals. He was named Top Drawer Soccer's national player of the week on Sept. 1 and received a total of five national team of the week accolades from three different media sources. This year marked the second consecutive season that Grella earned All-South Region honors.

Videira, a native of Milford, Mass., was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist for the third consecutive season. He started 15 matches and played 1,215 minutes despite battling through a leg injury. Videira helped the Blue Devils with two goals and three assists and ran the offense from the center midfield position. The senior captain earned third team Academic All-America honors for the second straight year in November. For the fourth straight season, Videira earned All-South Region accolades. He has been invited to the 2008 MLS Combine in January.

Departing head coach John Rennie ends his career having 31 All-America awards bestowed upon his Blue Devil players in 29 years at Duke. Since 1939, Duke has had 45 men's soccer All-America recipients.

For the Top Drawer Soccer teams of the season, Videira was named to the second team and Grella was an honorable mention. Freshman midfielder Cole Grossman made the All-Rookie First Team and freshman defender Christian Ibeagha was placed on the All-Rookie Second Team.

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