SAVANNAH, Ga. - Armstrong Atlantic State University head women's soccer coach Eric Faulconer has been named the 2012 NSCAA Women's Soccer Southeast Region Coach of the Year, announced by the organization on Wednesday.

Faulconer led the No. 5-ranked Pirates to the 2012 Peach Belt Conference regular season championship as Armstrong went a perfect 11-0 in the league this season. Armstrong also captured the 2012 PBC Tournament title and defeated North Georgia, 3-1, and downed Columbus State in a penalty kick shootout, 0-0 (6-5), to earn a second straight NCAA Southeast Region title.

Armstrong finished the 2012 season with a 19-2-2 overall record, losing to eventual national champion West Florida in the national quarterfinals. The Pirates were the only team this season to hand West Florida a loss, downing the Argonauts, 2-1, in Pensacola in October.

The Pirates collected a school- and Peach Belt Conference-record 19-match winning streak during the season and ascended to No. 1 in the NSCAA Top 25 Coaches' Poll for the first time in the eight-year history of the program.

The PBC's Co-Coach of the Year in 2012, this is the fourth consecutive NSCAA Region Coach of the Year honor for Faulconer and fifth overall at Armstrong. He also won the honor once while coaching at Thomas University in 2003.

"I feel very honored to be recognized by my peers," Faulconer said. "This is a team award and I was so fortunate to coach such a wonderful group. This team totally bought into my goals and vision for this season and I couldn't be more proud of what they accomplished this year."

Faulconer will now advance to balloting for NSCAA National Coach of the Year honors, which will be announced at the organization's annual convention on January 16-20th in Indianapolis, Ind.