Nov. 6, 2008
Contact: Brian McCann
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - After finishing in third place in the Horizon League this season, honors came to the Viking men's soccer on Thursday (Nov. 6) when four players were named to the various All-Horizon League squads.
Junior forward Slavisa Ubiparipovic (Mentor, OH) was named to the All-Horizon League first team while junior defender Mitch Boyer (Parma, OH/Normandy) was a repeat member on the second team. In addition, freshmen Justin Mancine (Aurora, OH/Walsh Jesuit) and Stephen Byer (San Fernando, Trinidad & Tobago) were each selected to the 11-menber All-Newcomer Team.
"It is nice to see that our players have earned the respect of the coaches around the league," CSU head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "It shows how far that we have come as a program since they picked us to finish last in the league in the preseason. It has been a rewarding season."
Ubiparipovic, who transferred to CSU this year after playing his first two seasons at Xavier, shared the team with 11 points, ranking second on the team in goals (4) and first in assists (3), shots (26) and shots on goal (21). He was named the Horizon League Athlete of the Week on Oct. 27 after scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 3-0 win over Wright State.
Boyer, who led the team in scoring as a sophomore in 2007, shares the scoring lead this season with 11 points. He has a team-best five goals, four of which have come on penalty kicks, but is better known for anchoring the Vikings defense that has allowed just 1.49 goals per game while playing one of the most challenging schedules in the league.
Byer, who missed seven games in the middle of the season with a leg injury, is tied for third on the team in scoring with three goals for six points, starting five of the 10 matches that he has played in.
Mancine made a solid impression during his freshman campaign, starting 14 of the 17 matches at midfield. He took eight shots during the year and handed out his lone assist in a 3-3 tie against Niagara.
The Vikings received a first round bye and No. 3 seed in the Horizon League Championship and will play the winner of Thursday night's No. 7 Milwaukee at No. 6 Wright State contest. The second round match will be played on Sunday, Nov. 9 beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Krenzler Field.
The complete list of league awards follows
First Team All-Horizon League
Braden Fleak, F, Wright State
Eduardo Garcia, F, Butler
Frank Patano, F, Butler
Tosaint Ricketts, F, Green Bay
Slavisa Ubiparipovic, F, Cleveland State
JC Banks, MF, Green Bay
Eric Gehrig, MF, Loyola
Baggio Husidic, MF, UIC
Keum Sung Kim, MF. Loyola
Robert Younger, MF, UIC
Jovan Bubonja, GK, UIC
Second Team All-Horizon League
Boris Gatzky, F, Butler
Oscar Lomeli, F, Valparaiso
Matt Spiess, F, UIC
Eric Frazier, MF, Milwaukee
Kyle Pateros, MF, Butler
David Prochazka, MF, Green Bay
Renato Susnja, MF, Detroit
Mitch Boyer, D, Cleveland State
Alen Husidic, D, UIC
Tony Walls, D, Green Bay
Matt Hegeman, GK, Butler
Horizon League All-Newcomer Team
Scott Waggoner, F, Loyola
Eric Frazier, MF.Milwaukee
Rodolfo Lucas, MF, Valparaiso
Justin Mancine, MF, Cleveland State
Julian Serrato, MF, UIC
Stephen Byer, F, Cleveland State
Matt Hedges, D, Butler
Tony Maxey, D, Milwaukee
Tony Walls, D, Green Bay
Erik Warren, D, Loyola
Kyle Zobeck, GK, Valparaiso
Player of the Year: Baggio Husidic, UIC
Offensive Player of the Year: Baggio Husidic, UIC
Defensive Player of the Year: Robert Younger, UIC
Goalkeeper of the Year: Jovan Bubonja, UIC
Newcomer of the Year: Tony Walls, Green Bay
Coach of the Year: John Trask, UIC
