Nov. 10, 2009
Contact: Renee Adam
Cleveland, Ohio - After posting the second straight undefeated season at Krenzler Field, the Cleveland State men's soccer team's accomplishment didn't go unnoticed as five Vikings were named to the various All-Horizon League teams on Tuesday (Nov. 10).
Senior forward Slavisa Ubiparipovic and senior midfielder Josh Williams were both named to the All-Horizon League first team, while classmate Mitch Boyer was named to the All-Horizon League second team. Freshmen midfielder Admir Suljevic and forward Aaron Adkins each earned a spot on the Horizon League All-Newcomer team.
"The leadership of these seniors has allowed our team to have great success this season," head coach Ali Kazemaini said. "I'm glad that they have gained respect in the league for what they have done this season, and how they have helped turn this CSU team into one of the top teams in the league."
In his second year as a Viking, Ubiparipovic leads the team in scoring with 15 points, is tied for first on the team with five assists and is second on the team in goals with five. This is the second time that he has earned first team honors, after also earning the honor as a junior.
After starting and playing in all 18 matches this season, Williams leads the team with six goals, including three game-winning tallies. He is second on the team with 14 points, and has also added two assists this season. This is the second All-League honor for Williams, as he was selected to the Horizon League All-Newcomer team as a freshman.
Boyer earns his third All-Horizon League second team award this season after leading a Viking defense that has allowed just 24 goals this season. Despite being sidelined by injuries for five matches, Boyer has led CSU to six shutouts this year, which is tied for the most shutouts in program history over the past 10 seasons. Boyer also earned Horizon League player of the week honors on Nov. 2 after leading CSU to a 1-0 shutout over regular season champion, Butler.
"The freshmen on the squad this year are going to be the new generation for our program," Kazemaini said. "With that, they will help us in our quest to get back to the NCAA tournament and keep building our program so that we are able to get to the next step."
Suljevic earns All-Newcomer team honors after being tied for first on the team with five assists and ranking fourth on the squad with three goals. He is the lone Viking freshman to play in all 18 matches this season and has also been in the starting lineup for all 18 contests.
Adkins started his freshman campaign off strong, scoring his first career goal against St. Bonaventure in his first match as a Viking. Since then he has added three more goals and two assists for 10 points, which is good for fourth on the squad and an All-Newcomer team honor.
CSU will put its 13-match home field unbeaten streak back on the line tonight when the Vikings host UIC in the first round of the Horizon League Championship at 7:00 p.m. The winner will advance to the semi-finals to face either #1 Butler or #2 Green Bay in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday (Nov. 13).
The complete list of league awards follows:
First Team All-Horizon Leauge
Boris Gatzky, F, Butler
Matt Hedges, D, Butler
Kyle VondenBenken, MF, Butler
Slavisa Ubiparipovic, F, Cleveland State
Josh Williams, MF, Cleveland State
JC Banks, MF, Green Bay
David Prochazka, D, Green Bay
Tony Walls, D/MF, Green Bay
David Znaty, F, Green Bay
Eric Gehrig, MF, Loyola
Ryan Schwarz, GK, Valparaiso
Second Team All-Horizon League
Connor Burt, D, Butler
Fabian Knopfler, GK, Butler
Mitch Boyer, D, Cleveland State
Michael Ferguson, F, Loyola
Willie Koss, MF, Loyola
Ivan Stanisavljevic, MF, UIC
Kevin Stoll, F, UIC
Stefan Antonijevic, MF, Valparaiso
Adrian Ortiz, MF/D, Valparaiso
Steve Shively, F, Valparaiso
Braden Fleak, F, Wright State
Horizon League All-Newcomer Team
Julian Cardona, F, Butler
Jared Isenthal, D, Butler
Tyler Pollock, F, Butler
Admir Suljevic, MF, Cleveland State
Aaron Adkins, F, Cleveland State
Ryan Wehking, GK, Green Bay
Andrew Wiedabach, F, Milwaukee
Josh Beard, MF, UIC
Ivan Stanisavljevic, MF, UIC
Jaymie Bullard, MF, Valparaiso
Brad Bamberger, D, Wright State
Player of the Year: JC Banks, Green Bay
Offensive Player of the Year: JC Banks, Green Bay
Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Hedges, Butler
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
Newcomer of the Year: Julian Cardona, Butler
Coach of the Year: Kelly Findley, Butler
