Five members of the UIC men's soccer team were recognized as All-Horizon League performers for the 2017 season, the conference announced today.

Sophomore midfielder Jesus Perez (Waukegan, Ill.) and senior defender Joel Leon (Cicero, Ill.) were named to the All-Horizon League First Team.  Junior forward Max Todd (Edinburgh, Scotland) earned Second Team honors.  Freshmen forward Peter Becht (Downers Grove, Ill.) and defender Jacob Graiber (Plainfield, Ill.) were among the top newcomers named to the All-Freshman Team.

"First, let me congratulate all the players and coaches who were recognized for their performances this season," head coach Sean Phillips said.  "The recognition of our individual players, their hard work and talent by the opposing coaches is deserved and appreciated.  More importantly, it is reflective of the talent and hard work put in by every player on this team on and off the field."

 

Perez, competing in his first Horizon League season after transferring from Akron, was fifth in the league in goals within conference play, fourth in assists, and one of just seven players to score over 10 points.  He had three game-winning goals in UIC's six conference wins.  He led the team with eight assists and was second on the squad with 16 points.

 

Leon battled an injury to start the year but, as befitting a fifth year senior and team captain, he returned to become the backbone of the Flames' defense.  Often seen challenging advances and blocking shots, Leon also provided leadership in the locker room to a team with its share of newcomers, two of whom earned starting roles alongside Leon on the Flames' back line.  With Leon on the field, the Flames allowed 0.75 goals per Horizon League game.

  Todd appeared in only six Horizon League contests due to injury but still performed at a high enough level to earn all-conference honors for the third straight year.  He peppered opponents' goals with 3.17 shots per game to place fourth in the league, and scored the game winning goal against Cleveland State in double overtime.  Todd registered four points in the Flames' last three games as the team charged up the standings to capture second place at season's end.

  Becht placed in the top 10 in shots per game, helping lead a UIC attack that pressured opponents with more shots than any other team in the league.  He had three goals in conference play, good for seventh overall, two of which were game winners.  He scored twice against first place Green Bay.

  Graiber settled in to the Flames' lineup against Milwaukee and became a key contributor to the team's back line.  UIC's defense allowed 0.7 goals per game overall with Graiber in the starting lineup, and just 0.57 in conference play.  He also scored a goal against Green Bay and had two goals on the season.
 
Voting for the all-conference teams is done by league head coaches, who cannot vote for their own players.  The complete all-conference teams are listed below.

The Flames have earned a bye to the conference tournament semifinals by virtue of their second place finish, and will see their first Horizon League tournament action on Thursday at 7 pm against the highest seeded winner of this evening's quarterfinals.

First Team All-League
Tyler Moorman, Detroit Mercy, R-Sr., F
Audi Jepson, Green Bay, Sr., F
Tomer Zloczower, Green Bay, So., M
Nick Moon, Milwaukee, Sr.,F
Sean Reynolds, Milwaukee, Jr., D
Jim Barkei, N.Kentucky,  Jr., GK
Austin Ricci, Oakland, Sr., M
Jesus Perez, UIC, So., M
Joel Leon, UIC, R-Sr., D
AJ Paterson, Wright State, Sr., M
Dan Bent, Wright State, Jr., D
 
Second Team All-League
Alec Nagucki, Cleveland State, Sr., M
Noah Pio, Cleveland State, Jr., M
Vlad Jandric, Cleveland State, So., M
Grant Harrison, Detroit Mercy, Jr., D
Spiro Pliakos, Detroit Mercy, Sr., F
Baran Huseini, Green Bay, Jr., D
Marcos Bautista, Green Bay, So., M
Vuk Latinovich, Milwaukee, Fr., M
Nyal Higgins, Oakland, So., D
Max Todd, UIC, Jr., F
Stefan Rokvic, Wright State, So., F
Sam DeRoy,Wright State, Sr., D
Joel Sundell, Wright State, So., GK
 
All-Freshman Team
Matteo Bennati, Belmont, F
Thomas M'Barek, Cleveland State, D
Kyle Bandyk, Detroit Mercy, M/F
Adam Mansa, Green Bay, D
Freddy Lorenzen, Milwaukee, GK
Jake Kelderman, Milwaukee, D
Vuk Latinovich, Milwaukee, M
Harvey Moyes, N. Kentucky, M
Noah Jensen, Oakland, M
Jacob Graiber, UIC, D
Peter Becht, UIC, F
Brayden McNitt, Wright State, M
Florian Hoffman, Wright State, D

Specialty Awards:
Player of the Year – AJ Paterson, Wright State
Offensive Player of the Year – Audi Jepson, Green Bay
Defensive Player of the Year – Dan Bent, Wright State
Coach of the Year – Jeremy Bonomo, Green Bay
Goalkeeper of the Year – Jim Barkei, Northern Kentucky
Freshman of the Year – Matteo Bennati, Belmont

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