Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer
Cleveland State University

The Official Home of the Cleveland State University Vikings

M’Barek, Pewu Named All-Ohio & Academic All-Ohio

M’Barek, Pewu Named All-Ohio & Academic All-Ohio
Posted: Jan 24, 2020

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Junior Thomas M'Barek and senior Gabriel Pewu of the Cleveland State University men's soccer team were named All-Ohio in a recent announcement by the Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association.

M'Barek and Pewu both earned spots on the First Team, at defense and forward, respectively. This is the first season since 2012 that two Vikings claimed All-Ohio First Team honors.

Additionally, both Vikings were named Academic All-Ohio First Team. They were two of just four Division I players statewide to earn both All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio honors this season.

M'Barek was in his second season as a captain for the Vikings in 2019. He started 14 of 15 matches in central defense, helping anchor the unit that allowed the fewest goals in the Horizon League. The 2019 All-Horizon League First Team selection was third among Viking outfield players with 1,266 minutes played. He helped CSU allow a league-low 17 goals in 15 matches as the Vikings posted notable results against Louisville, Ohio State and Akron. M'Barek also scored his first collegiate goal in the home-opening win.

M'Barek owns a 3.94 cumulative grade point average as an international business major and is a two-time Academic All-Horizon League selection. His GPA is the second-highest among those named Academic All-Ohio.

Pewu led Cleveland State with nine goals and 19 points in his final season, both of which tied for the highest figure by a Viking since 2003. He sat among the top four in the league in both goals per game and points per game. Pewu had some of his best performances against some of the Vikings' toughest foes. He netted twice in wins over Akron and Ohio State, scoring the game-winner in each match. Pewu also scored the game-tying goal at Louisville with fewer than 10 minutes left in regulation and scored the golden goal in the 100th minute against Northern Kentucky.

Pewu owns a 3.42 GPA as a management major.

Cleveland State has now had at least one All-Ohio selection in 11 of the past 12 seasons. However, M'Barek and Pewu are the first Academic All-Ohio honorees for the Vikings since 2015.