KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Over the course of the last week, the United Soccer Coaches announced their All-Region and All-American honors for Division III men's soccer. Messiah earned a trio of First Team All-American honors with
Jake Lent-Koop,
Luke Groothoff, and
Matt McDonald earning spots on the top team. The three also picked up First Team All-Region honors while
Jared Pavlovich claimed a Second Team All-Region honor to round out this week's United Soccer Coaches accolades for the Falcons.
This season marks the first time in Messiah men's soccer history the that Falcons received three First Team All-American honors in the same season. Messiah had previously earned three All-American honors in 2007, 2013, 2018, and 2021, but they had never earned more than two First Team honors prior to this season.
With the three honors, Messiah has now earned 49 all-time All-American honors from the United Soccer Coaches.
For
Jake Lent-Koop and
Luke Groothoff, this week's honors are the second All-American nods of their career. Lent-Koop was named a First Team defender last season while Groothoff was named to the Second Team during his freshman year of 2018.
Jake Lent-Koop earns his second-straight First Team All-American nod after a stellar season as the Falcons starting centerback. The Rio Rancho, N.M. native, anchored Messiah's defense that allowed just 13 goals on the season for a 0.59 goals against average. His six-foot, three-inch frame allowed him to go toe-to-toe with and forward in the country as well as push forward and be a dangerous target on set pieces. In addition to his defensive abilities, Lent-Koop found the back of the net on six occasions and dished out one assist, finishing the year with 13 points.
In the midfield,
Luke Groothoff earned his second-career All-American nod. His creative play and tactical skill allowed Groothoff to net six goals and assist on five others during the 2022 campaign. Beyond his goals and assists, Groothoff's area of impact on the field was great. Whether it was push forward on attack or holding possession for the Falcons and steading play in the midfield, he was always making his impact on the game felt.
Few in the country put the ball in the back of the net the way that
Matt McDonald did this season. The senior forward earned his first career All-American honor after a phenomenal scoring season. He scored twice in the season opener against Washington and Lee and never looked back, scoring in Messiah's first six games en route to a 23-goal season. McDonald also dished out six assists for 52 total points. His 23 goals and 52 points tied for the most in DIII men's soccer this season. On six occasions, McDonald connected on multi-goal games. Against NYU on Sept. 24, McDonald scored the fastest goal to start a game in Messiah men's soccer history, needing just 21 seconds to find the back of the net.
As mentioned, Lent-Koop, Groothoff, and McDonald were all named First Team All-Region in addition to their First Team All-American honors. Joining the trio with All-Region honors was Second Team goalkeeper,
Jared Pavlovich. Earning his first All-Region nod of his career, Pavlovich held a 0.56 goals against average on the season, making 22 saves and allowing 10 goals for a 0.688 save percentage.
