Grantham, PA – One day after defeating Arcadia University by a 4-0 score to advance into this weekend's MAC Commonwealth Championship, Messiah College men's soccer was honored by the conference with 10 all-conference awards.
Jacob Bender was named Offensive Player of the Year to lead the honors, and
Brad McCarty was named Coach of the Year.
Jacob Bender is the fourth Falcon to win Offensive Player of the Year in the past five seasons, and he's the 20th Falcon to be named conference "Player of the Year" of any sort in the past 22 seasons. Bender's honor came after he tallied 10 goals and six assists to lead Messiah with 26 points during the regular-season. He notched four game-winners and scored six of his goals in conference play, and he also tallied a point in 11 of 18 regular-season games. Last night Bender also scored Messiah's second goal to support the 4-0 shutout.
Kirby Robbins earned the First Team nod after leading the Falcons with 11 goals and seven game-winners, and he added to those totals last night with his eighth winner of the year. His winning goal total prior to last night was third in the nation.
Josh Bender and
Dakota Rosenberg joined Robbins on First Team as representatives of Messiah's impressive defensive unit. They've helped the Falcons earn a 0.40 goals against average— good for fifth in the nation—while holding opponents to just 5.6 shots per game.
The Falcons' defense set up
Connor Bell for success in the net, and he responded in kind with a .825 save percentage, 0.38 goals against average, and 10 shutouts. His goals against average was ranked fifth in the nation prior to last night's game, and he has put up eight-straight shutouts entering Saturday's match against Lebanon Valley.
Colby Thomas,
David Alejos, and
Cooper Robbins all earned Second Team honors, and
Nick West joined Bell as Honorable Mention. Thomas was third on the team in points (18) during the regular-season thanks to five goals and a career-high eight assists, with Alejos was recognized after her tallied two goals and three assists with two game-winners; Alejos scored the game's only goal for Messiah at Lebanon Valley earlier this season.
Nick West, who collected two assists last night, now has three goals and eight assists across all 19 games played.
Cooper Robbins' honor was due to his steady and strong play in a midfield that supported the least number of goals allowed (8) of any MAC Commonwealth team while also holding an impressive 2.00 goal difference, also the highest in the conference.
The Coach of the Year award for McCarty is third of his career (2010, 2013). Earlier this season he eclipsed the 150-win mark for his career (163-10-9).
A complete listing of the All-MAC Commonwealth honors is here:
| Offensive Player of the Year: Jacob Bender (Sr.), Messiah |
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| Defensive Player of the Year: Zach Rider (Jr.), Alvernia |
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| Rookie of the Year: Clay Smith (Fr.), Hood |
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| Coach of the Year: Brad McCarty, Messiah |
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| First Team All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Drew Demich |
Hood |
Senior |
| Forward |
Bradley McKim |
Arcadia |
Junior |
| Forward |
Kirby Robbins |
Messiah |
Junior |
| Midfielder |
Jacob Bender |
Messiah |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Alex Detweiler |
Lebanon Valley |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Jordan Logan |
Lycoming |
Junior |
| Midfielder |
Juliano Pillari |
Hood |
Senior |
| Defender |
Josh Bender |
Messiah |
Junior |
| Defender |
Riley Katshir |
Lebanon Valley |
Sophomore |
| Defender |
Dakota Rosenberg |
Messiah |
Junior |
| Goalie |
Zach Rider |
Alvernia |
Junior |
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| Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Jake Kline |
Lebanon Valley |
Freshman |
| Forward |
Clay Smith |
Hood |
Freshman |
| Forward |
Colby Thomas |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Midfielder |
Abdullahi Abdi |
Lycoming |
Junior |
| Midfielder |
David Alejos |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Midfielder |
Cam Alexander |
Lebanon Valley |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Tommy O'Keefe |
Widener |
Senior |
| Defender |
Cooper Robbins |
Messiah |
Freshman |
| Defender |
Nate Gibbons |
Lebanon Valley |
Junior |
| Defender |
Kyle Thomas |
Lycoming |
Junior |
| Goalie |
Cam Avery |
Lebanon Valley |
Junior |
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| Honorable Mention All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Tyler Skye |
Lebanon Valley |
Junior |
| Forward |
Nick West |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Midfielder |
Christiano Pillari |
Hood |
Senior |
| Defender |
Tyler Arnold |
Alvernia |
Senior |
| Defender |
Khup Dal |
Lebanon Valley |
Sophomore |
| Defender |
Tyler Ihle |
Arcadia |
Junior |
| Defender |
Brian Martinez |
Arcadia |
Senior |
| Defender |
Sainclair Tueno |
Lycoming |
Sophomore |
| Goalie |
Connor Bell |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Goalie |
Danny Castillo |
Hood |
Freshman |
