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Four Earn All-MAC Honors
November 10, 2016 04:26 PM | Men's Soccer
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Four West Virginia University men’s soccer players have been named to the All-Conference Team by the Mid-American Conference. Juniors Jad Arslan and Joey Piatczyc were named to the First Team, while seniors Felix Angerer and Jack Elliott earned Second Team honors.
Elliott and Piatczyc earned All-MAC honors for the second times in their careers, after both were named to the second team in 2014. It is the first career All-MAC accolade for Angerer and Arslan.
“Congratulations to our four student-athletes,” WVU coach Marlon LeBlanc said. “All four are deserving of the recognition and we certainly hope they’ll have the opportunity to lead us if we’re given another match in the NCAA Tournament.”
Arslan played in all 16 matches for the Mountaineers, with 15 starts. He tied for the team high with four goals and an assist, ranking No. 2 on the team with nine points. The midfielder scored two game-winning goals, at UNCG on Sept. 24 and in WVU’s 3-1 upset victory at No. 22 Akron on Oct. 22, where he notched two scores within eight minutes.
Piatczyc earned first team honors after starting all 16 matches. The midfielder scored two goals and tied for the team lead with four assists, totaling eight points. Piatczyc assisted on two game-winning goals and scored the opening goal just 39 seconds into the Mountaineers’ upset victory at No. 22 Akron.
Angerer played in 15 matches, leading the team with 11 points and scoring a team-high-tying four goals and added three assists. His two game-winning goals came in the 11th minute against American on Sept. 20 and in a 1-0 win at Penn on Oct. 25. The senior forward also tallied a pair of assists at No. 22 Akron.
Elliott started all 16 matches as a key member of the WVU defense. Leading the team with 1,487 minutes played, he scored two goals, had one assist and five points. He helped lead the WVU back line to a record-setting seven consecutive shutouts and a school-record shutout streak that lasted 758 minutes.
Angerer, Arslan, Elliott and Piatczyc played vital roles in the Mountaineers’ success this season, leading WVU to an 8-7-1 record in the regular season. With an NCAA RPI of 49 and playing one of the nation’s toughest schedules, West Virginia is looking to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, which will be announced on Monday.
All-MAC First Team:
Pau Belana, Midfielder, Akron
Adam Najem, Midfielder, Akron
Brad Ruhaak, Defender, Akron
Pat Flynn, Forward, Bowling Green
Anthony Mwembia, Goalkeeper, Bowling Green
Russell Cicerone, Forward, Buffalo
David Enstrom, Defender, Buffalo
Jad Arslan, Midfielder, West Virginia
Joey Piatczyc, Midfielder, West Virginia
Zach Bock, Defender, Western Michigan
Brandon Bye, Forward, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team:
Sam Gainford, Forward, Akron
Nick Hinds, Defender, Akron
Stuart Holthusen, Forward, Akron
Jonathan Lewis, Forward, Akron
Ben Lundt, Goalkeeper, Akron
Tate Robertson, Midfielder, Bowling Green
Jacob Roth, Defender, Bowling Green
Joe Sullivan, Midfielder, Bowling Green
Nick Forrester, Defender, Buffalo
Jack Elliot, Defender, West Virginia
Felix Angerer, Forward, West Virginia
Edu Jimenez, Midfielder, Western Michigan
Diego Lopez, Midfielder, Western Michigan
Drew Shepherd, Goalkeeper, Western Michigan
Player of the Year:
Adam Najem, Midfielder, Akron
Freshman of the Year
Jonathan Lewis, Forward, Akron
Gary V. Palmisano Coach of the Year
Eric Nichols, Bowling Green
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