MONTREAL, Dec. 22, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FieldTurf announced the winners of its FieldTurf High School Soccer Awards for the 2008 season today. Winners were announced in 9 different regions of the U.S. for girls and boys soccer teams with the National High School Team of the Year announcement slated for the 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Convention in St. Louis. These awards are based on tabulated votes from FieldTurf Tarkett executives and a panel consisting of Al Albert, Tonya Antonucci, Chris Burt, Brian Ching, Glenn Davis, Anson Dorrance, Jay Hoffman, Bill Irwin, Buzz Lagos, Matt Reis, Steve Sampson, Steve Shak, Aly Wagner, Durward Williams and Tanya Vogel.

This year's winners are:

 * Southwest High School Team of the Year (Boys): La Cueva HS (NM)
 * Southwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): Alta HS (UT)
 * Northwest High School Team of the Year (Boys): Merced HS (CA)
 * Northwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): Lincoln HS (OR)
 * Midwest High School Team of the Year (Boys): Reitz Memorial HS (IN)
 * Midwest High School Team of the Year (Girls): St. Ursula Academy
   (OH)
 * Metro High School Team of the Year (Boys): Brentwood HS (NY)
 * Metro High School Team of the Year (Girls): The Pennington School
   (NJ)
 * Northeast High School Team of the Year (Boys): Farmington HS (CT)
 * Northeast High School Team of the Year (Girls): Minnechaug Regional
   HS (MA)
 * Southeast High School Team of the Year (Boys): St. Xavier HS (KY)
 * Southeast High School Team of the Year (Girls): Sacred Heart
   Academy (KY)
 * Great Lakes Region High School Team of the Year (Boys): Marquette
   University HS (WI)
 * Great Lakes Region High School Team of the Year (Girls): Woodbury
   HS (MN)
 * Midwest Metro High School Team of the Year (Boys): New Trier HS
   (IL)
 * Midwest Metro High School Team of the Year (Girls): Strongsville HS
   (OH)
 * Mid-Atlantic High School Team of the Year (Boys): Episcopal HS
   (VA)
 * Mid-Atlantic High School Team of the Year (Girls): Archbishop
   Spalding HS (MD)

In addition to the national high school team of the year award, the NCAA and Professional soccer awards will be announced at the NSCAA Convention in St. Louis on January 16, 2009.

LA CUEVA HS (NM), (Southwest Region High School Boys Team of the Year): La Cueva captured three premier championships in 2008, namely the 2008 AAAAA State Title, the Novar and Bryan Cline Championships. Head Coach Larry Waters led the team to a number one ranking in the state and completed the fall campaign with an impressive record of 49-3-2. La Cueva also finished the season ranked 10th in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

ALTA HS (UT), (Southwest Region High School Girls Team of the Year): Head Coach Lee Mitchell led Alta High to its third successive state championship in 2008. The team finished tenth in the NSCAA National High School Poll after an undefeated season.

MERCED HS (CA), (Northwest Region High School Boys Team of the Year): Merced finished the season ranked fifth in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

LINCOLN HS (OR), (Northwest Region High School Girls Team of the Year): Lincoln High repeated as state champions for the second consecutive season after compiling a perfect 18-0 record. Three members of the team were appointed to the All-State squad and Head Coach Michelle Scifo captured her first title in her inaugural season as coach. Scifo's ladies also finished the season ranked second in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

REITZ MEMORIAL HS (IN), (Midwest Region High School Boys Team of the Year): Under the leadership of Head Coach Bill Vieth, Reitz Memorial captured the 2008 IHSAA State Championship. Reitz also finished the season ranked second in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

ST. URSULA ACADEMY (OH), (Midwest Region High School Girls Team of the Year): The Bulldogs have a rich tradition of excellence on and off the pitch, having captured four state championships in '91, '93,'07 and again in '08. The team has been to the final four in five of the past seven seasons. St. Ursula finished the season ranked third in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll with a 20-0-3 record.

BRENTWOOD HS (NY), (Metro Region High School Boys Team of the Year): Brentwood won the NYSPHSAA Boys Soccer Championship for Class AA by defeating Clarence, 2-1. It was the school's first state title since 1989. Forward Joseph Lopez led the team to a perfect 24-0 record while scoring a team-high 25 goals and 12 assists. Brentwood finished the season ranked first in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

THE PENNINGTON SCHOOL (NJ), (Metro Region High School Girls Team of the Year): The Pennington School's varsity girls' soccer team retained its number one ranking in both the NSCAA National High School Poll with an 18-0 record to conclude the '08 season on a high note. The squad defeated archrival Hopewell Valley in the Mercer County Tournament semifinals and then beat Notre Dame in the championship, giving it back-to-back MCT titles. As well, the Red Raiders knocked off Peddie to win their sixth consecutive Prep A State championship.

FARMINGTON HS (CT), (Northeast Region High School Boys Team of the Year): Head Coach Steve Waters led Farmington to a 19-2 record and a state championship with a 2-1 victory over Glastonbury in the final. Farmington finished the season ranked 8th in the NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

MINNECHAUG REGIONAL HS (MA), (Northeast Region High School Girls Team of the Year): The Lady Falcons won the state championship by defeating Acton-Boxborough, 1-0, and amassed a record of 19-1-1. The team was recognized by the Pioneer Valley Soccer Officials Association as the recipient of the 2008 Bob McIntyre Sportsmanship Award for Girls' Soccer, which is awarded to the girls' soccer program for season-long sportsmanship. In addition to their merits, the Lady Falcons also finished the season ranked 4th in the final NSCAA National High School Poll.

ST. XAVIER HS (KY), (Southeast Region High School Boys Team of the Year): Finishing as the No. 1-ranked high school team in Kentucky, the Tigers (22-1) captured their second straight state title and seventh in 15 years. They won their final 16 games after a 1-0 loss to rival Manual in early September. Head Coach Andy Schulten has produced countless top players in his tenure and compiled a 47-1-2 record over the past two seasons. St. Xavier finished the season ranked 19th in the final NSCAA National High School Poll.

SACRED HEART ACADEMY (KY), (Southeast Region High School Girls Team of the Year): Head Coach Chris Moore led the team to the 2008 Kentucky High School Athletic Association state title while compiling a 21-1-3 record. Sacred Heart also won state titles in '03 and '07, respectively. Sacred Heart also finished the season ranked 14th in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY HS (WI), (Great Lakes Region Boys High School Team of the Year): Head Coach Steve Lawrence led the Hilltoppers to the Division I State Title -- their sixth championship in a row! Marquette was undefeated in conference play and placed five players on the All-Conference First Team. The Hilltoppers also finished the season ranked seventh in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

WOODBURY HS (MN), (Great Lakes Region Girls High School Team of the Year): Woodbury captured the state title while en route to a perfect 20-0-2 final record and an 8th rank in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

NEW TRIER HS (IL), (Midwest Metro Region Boys High School Team of the Year): 2008 Class 3A State Champions. New Trier also finished the season ranked third in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

STRONGSVILLE HS (OH), (Midwest Metro Region Girls High School Team of the Year): Despite a 21-2-1 record and a regional championship to their name, the Strongsville ladies finished second in the state behind St. Ursula Academy. Strongsville last won the state in '05 and has been to the championship final for the past two seasons. Reitz also finished the season ranked 15th in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll. A total of ten players have accepted scholarships to play NCAA Division I soccer next fall. Head Coach Jon Felton, a former All-American at Bowling Green, has won four U.S. Youth Soccer Regional championships and four State Cup titles as a coach. His overall record is 181-27-23.

EPISCOPAL HS (VA), (Mid-Atlantic Region Boys High School Team of the Year): Head Coach Rick Wilcox had the ultimate "dream season" in '08 with a perfect 23-0 record in all matches, and a VISAA state championship to boot. Wilcox's team also finished the season ranked 13th in the final NSCAA National High School Soccer Poll.

ARCHBISHOP SPALDING HS (MD), (Mid-Atlantic Region Girls High School Team of the Year): Head Coach Bob Dieterle led the Spaldings to the IAAM Conference Championship while compiling a record of 19-1-3. The team also finished 6th in the final NSCAA National Poll and 9th in the ESPN Rise Poll.

In addition to votes from FieldTurf Tarkett representatives, the 2008 Annual Soccer Awards are determined by a panel of soccer experts and professional players from around the country which consists of the following members:

 * Tonya Antonucci - Commissioner, Women's Professional Soccer League.
 * Chris Burt - Director of Marketing, National Soccer Coaches
   Association of America.
 * Brian Ching - Veteran forward for the Houston Dynamo of Major
   League Soccer and member of the 2006 U.S. Men's World Cup Team.
 * Glenn Davis - Sports broadcaster for ESPN and HDNET; former
   professional soccer player with the Houston Dynamo.
 * Anson Dorrance - Head Coach, University of North Carolina Women's
   Soccer
 * Jay Hoffman - U.S. Paralympics National Soccer Team Head Coach,
   Virginia Rush Soccer Club Director of Coaching and Region I Boys ODP 
   Head Coach.
 * Bill Irwin - U.S. U-21 Women's National Team Head Coach and
   Director of Soccer for the University of Portland.
 * Buzz Lagos - Former long-time head coach of the Minnesota Thunder.
 * Steve Sampson - Former U.S. National Team Head Coach and Costa
   Rican National Team Head Coach.
 * Steve Shak - All-Star defender for the Charlotte Eagles of the USL2
   and former #1 draft pick in the 2000 MLS draft.
 * Tanya Vogel - Head Coach, George Washington University Women's
   Soccer
 * Durward Williams - Director of Strategic Alliances, Sports
   Endeavors.

FieldTurf Tarkett is the largest entity in the sports surfacing industry and provides unparalleled leasing capabilities, engineering and manufacturing resources. In addition to its world-renowned FieldTurf and Prestige brands of artificial turf, FieldTurf Tarkett provides an equally impressive range of sports flooring products that includes synthetic and hardwood basketball, volleyball and gymnasium flooring, squash and racquetball courts, floor protection and covering systems, and weight room flooring. Also in the range of FieldTurf Tarkett products are indoor and outdoor running tracks including the Beynon track surfaces, the Le Monde track system, playground surfacing, commercial and residential landscaping, and a complete range of tennis and golf surfaces. For more information, visit www.fieldturftarkett.com.