CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland State men's soccer team had four players earn All-Horizon League honors on Monday following the conclusion of the regular season last Friday.
Sergio Manesio (Jr., London, England), Jake Lagania (So., North Royalton, Ohio), Dan Koniarczyk (Jr., North Ridgeville, Ohio) and Gianluca DiFranco (Fr., Chesterland, Ohio) all earned the honors for the Vikings.
Manesio makes his third-straight appearance on an all-league team as he was on the All-Freshman team his freshman season, the Second-Team All-League last season and now grabs Defensive Player of the Year to go along with an appearance on the All-Horizon League first team.
In the first three games of the season, the Vikings fell to 0-3 and gave up seven goals while the lineup was still finding its groove. In the fourth game of the year, head coach Ali Kazemaini made the decision to put Manesio in the back, a move that would pay dividends. Since the move, the Vikings are 8-4-2, have given up just 11 goals and have shutout five of their last six opponents. Numerous CSU players have acknowledged Manesio's presence on the defensive side.
For Lagania, the case was virtually a trade with Manesio. As Manesio headed from the front to the back, Lagania headed from the back to the front, a move that earned him second team All-Horizon League honors.
Again, since the move, the Vikings are 8-4-3 and have found themselves hosting a first-round tournament game. On the year, Lagania has 15 total points with five goals and five assists. His points total is the highest for CSU since 2013. During one stretch in the season, Lagania managed to score or assist in five out of six games. This is Lagania's first selection to an all-league team and he has played in all 36 games possible during his CSU career.
Koniarczyk joins Lagania on the all-league second team after a season in which he held down the midfield all season long for the Vikings. Tallying five points on two goals and an assist, Koniarczyk's points all occurred in Cleveland State victories (3-0). This is Koniarczyk's first appearance on an all-league roster and like Lagania, he has played in every game this season.
DiFranco's strong freshman season lands him a spot on the Horizon League All-Freshman team. Scoring four points on two goals, all of his points, like Koniarczyk, occurred in CSU wins. In DiFranco's first collegiate action ever (preseason vs. Mercyhurst) he scored one goal and assisted on the other. He has appeared in 14 games this season, starting five.
The Vikings will begin their postseason tonight in the first round of the Horizon League tournament, hosting Detroit at Krenzler Field at 7:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the Horizon League semifinals on Thursday in Chicago.
