CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The 2018 American Rivers All-Conference Men’s Soccer Team, as voted by the league's head coaches:
| 2018 American Rivers All-Conference Men's Soccer Team |
Offensive MVP
Aidan O'Driscoll
Luther College |
Defensive MVP
Luke VonEschen
Luther College |
Coaching Staff of the Year
Luther College
Head Coach Chris Garcia-Prats |
| All-Conference |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Taylor Petkovich -h3 |
Central College |
Jr. |
MF |
Littleton, Colo./Heritage |
| Miguel Pina & ! |
Central College |
Sr. |
MF/F |
Chicago, Ill./William H. Taft |
| Sal Salado-Herrera -h3 |
Central College |
So. |
GK |
Minneapolis, Minn./Park Center |
| Jesse Buffington |
Loras College |
Jr. |
GK |
Farmington, Minn./Shattuck St. Mary's |
| Manny Lopez |
Loras College |
So. |
MF |
Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph |
| Miles McDonnell -h3 |
Loras College |
Jr. |
MF |
Arlington Heights, Ill./Saint Viator |
| Ryan Pacholski -h3 |
Loras College |
Sr. |
D |
Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville |
| Andrew Avram & |
Luther College |
Sr. |
MF |
Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro |
| Rafael Broseghini & -h1 |
Luther College |
Sr. |
F |
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Andilews |
| Tristan Davenport |
Luther College |
Sr. |
D |
Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic |
| Ben Keller & |
Luther College |
Jr. |
F |
Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake |
| Harry Merz -h3 |
Luther College |
Jr. |
D |
Wellington, New Zealand/Tawa |
| Aidan O'Driscoll & |
Luther College |
Sr. |
MF |
Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's |
| Luke VonEschen |
Luther College |
Sr. |
MF |
St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park |
| Alex Day -h1 |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Sr. |
MF/F |
Lake Forest Park, Wash./Shorecrest |
| Jake Kennedy & @ |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Sr. |
F |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast |
| Tanner Alderson & |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
MF/F |
Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South |
| Baraka Ellie |
Simpson College |
Fr. |
MF |
Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt |
| Trevor Fuccio |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
D |
Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown |
| Ayo Adebayo -h3 |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
F |
Rochester, Minn./John Marshall |
| Ben Johnson & ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
F |
Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar |
| Daniel Luzindya -h3 |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
MF |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Mar |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Gum Riak |
Buena Vista University |
Sr. |
F |
Juba, Africa/Vienna |
| Kiel Pederson -h3 -h1 |
Central College |
Sr. |
MF/F |
Arlington Heights, Ill./Heritage |
| Chris Alfaro |
Loras College |
Sr. |
MF |
Oak Creek, Wis./Oak Creek |
| Anthony Berardi |
Loras College |
Jr. |
D |
Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South |
| Tiernan Talbot |
Loras College |
Fr. |
MF |
Rochester, Minn./Lourdes |
| Brunno Colon & |
Luther College |
Sr. |
F |
Sao Paulo, Brazil/Colegio Avanco De Ensino Programado |
| Jack Arndt |
Simpson College |
Sr. |
D/MF |
Lenexa, Kan./Shawnee Mission West |
| Darius Doswell |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
MF/F |
Johnston, Iowa/Johnston |
| Dominik Chece |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
MF |
Woodstock, Ill./Prairie Ridge |
| Joshua Merkel |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
D |
Streamwood, Ill./Bartlett |
| Cameron Scott |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
MF |
Falkrik, Scotland/Falkirk |
| Riley Close |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
D |
Polk City, Iowa/Ankeny |
| Previous Honors |
| & - 2017 All-Conference |
| -h3 - 2017 Honorable Mention |
| ! - 2016 First Team All-Conference |
| @ - 2016 Second Team All-Conference |
| -h1 - 2016 Honorable Mention |
| # 2016 Offensive MVP |
| $ - 2015 First Team All-Conference |
| % - 2015 Second Team All-Conference |
| -h2 - 2015 Honorable Mention |
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The American Rivers Conference announced today that Luther College senior midfielder
Aidan O’Driscoll (Minneapolis, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's) has been selected as the league's Offensive MVP and teammate
Luke VonEschen (Sr., St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park) was named Defensive MVP. Luther College head coach
Chris Garcia-Prats, assistants
James Garcia-Prats,
Ryan Martin, and
Nigel Nielsen were voted American Rivers Coaching Staff of the Year. The 22-member All-Conference team and individual awards were nominated and voted by the Conference’s nine head coaches.
O’Driscoll is earning his second all-conference honor and is the first Offensive MVP from Luther. Prior to the MVP award being split to recognize an offensive and defensive standout in 2013, Luther had seven players named conference MVP. With 11 points in league play O’Driscoll tied for third in the conference standings. His four goals tied for second-most in the conference and three assists ranked third.
VonEschen was part of a Norse defensive unit that finished conference play ranked number-one in goals-against average at .651 and opponent scoring average (.63). The Luther backline allowed a conference-best five goals in eight games. In 20 total contests this season, Luther ranks 40th in NCAA Division III with a goals-against average of .728. This is the first all-conference team appearance for VonEschen. The senior midfielder is the third consecutive Norse to earn Defensive MVP, joining Ahmed Osman (2017) and Myles Norville (2016).
Norse head coach C. Garcia-Prats and assistants J. Garcia-Prats, Martin, and Nielsen add American Rivers Coaching Staff of the Year to their 2018 accolades. The Luther coaching staff guided the No.13-ranked Norse to a 6-1-1 record in league play and an overall mark of 16-3-1. The Norse claimed this year’s conference tournament title for team's ninth all-time and second in the last three years. The conference tournament championship also gave Luther the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. It was announced earlier this week that Luther will serve as a host site for the first two rounds of the tournament. The Norse will face Knox in the opening-round match. In eight conference matches the Norse had a league-best opponent scoring average (.63) and goals-against average (.651). Luther tied for second in total points (51), goals (20), and assists (11). This is the third Coaching Staff of the Year award for the Norse with Chris Garcia-Prats at the helm (2011, 2017, 2018) and the program's seventh overall honor (1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2011, 2017, 2018).
In addition to O’Driscoll and VonEschen, Luther had five players named all-conference. From the defensive unit senior
Tristan Davenport (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Catholic) and junior
Harry Merz (Wellington, New Zealand/Tawa) were selected. This is the first all-conference honor for both, while Merz was recognized in 2017 as honorable mention.
Andrew Avram (Scottsdale, Ariz./Saguaro),
Ben Keller (Vadnais Heights, Minn./White Bear Lake), and
Rafael Broseghini (Rio De Janeiro, Brazil/Colegio Andilews) are all making their second all-conference team. Broseghini was also an honorable-mention selection in 2016. As a senior forward Broseghini tied for 10th in the conference with three goals. Two of his goals went down as game-winners, tying him for second in the league. Keller, a junior forward, led the league in game-winning goals with three and his four-goal total ties for second-best.
Regular-season champion and tournament runner-up, Loras, saw four players selected all-conference.
Jesse Buffington (Farmington, Minn./Shattuck St. Mary's) was one of two goalkeepers named to the team. Playing in seven league games the junior keeper logged 596:09 minutes and averaged the league’s second-best goals-against average (1.057). His shutouts/game of .429 also ranked second while his .788 save percentage ranked third. Sophomore midfielder
Manny Lopez (Westchester, Ill./St. Joseph) is on his first all-conference team. Lopez totaled nine points on four goals and one assist to tie for sixth in the conference. His four goals were tied for the league’s second-most. After earning honorable mention a year ago,
Miles McDonnell (Arlington Heights, Ill./Saint Viator) and
Ryan Pacholiski (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) make this year’s all-conference squad. McDonnell is a junior midfielder for the Duhawks. Pacholiski was part of a Loras backline that owned the conference’s second-best goals-against average at .889 and allowed the second-fewest goals (7).
The Knights, finishing in a tie for third after regular season play and earning the No.3 seed in this year’s conference tournament off tie-breaker criteria, had three seniors named all-conference.
Ben Johnson (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar) led the way for Wartburg, becoming a three-time all-conference performer. As a forward he compiled nine points on four goals and one assist, tying for sixth in the conference. His four goals were tied for second-most in league play.
Ayo Adebayo (Rochester, Minn./John Marshall) and
Daniel Luzindya (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Linn-Mar) get the nod on this year’s all-conference roster after earning honorable-mention recognition a season ago. Adebayo, a forward for the Knights, owned the league’s 11th-best point total (7) on three goals and one assist. His three goals tied for 10th-most in the conference. From the midfielder position Luzindya tied for a league-best 12 points with four goals and four assists. His goal and assist totals tied for second-most in the conference, as did his two game-winning goals.
Three players have been named all-conference for Simpson, which tied for third in the conference standings and earned the No.4-seed in the conference tournament. Becoming a two-time all-conference selection for the Storm is junior midfielder/forward
Tanner Alderson (Parkville, Mo./Park Hill South). Alderson recorded two assists and two goals during league play. Teammates
Baraka Ellie (Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt) and
Trevor Fuccio (Marshalltown, Iowa/Marshalltown) make their mark on this year’s team for the first time. Ellie, a first-year midfielder for the Storm, was tied atop the league rankings for total points with 12. His four goals and four assists tied for second in the conference. As a junior, Fuccio and the Storm defensive unit held conference opponents to the fourth-best goals-against average (1.250) and tied for the fourth-fewest goals allowed (10).
The fifth-place Central Dutch saw three players selected to the all-conference roster. Senior midfielder/forward
Miguel Pina (Chicago, Ill./William H. Taft) became a three-time all-conference honoree. Pina totaled the 12th-most points (6) in conference play on two goals and two assists. One of Pina’s two goals was a game-winner for the Dutch.
Sal Salado-Herrera (Minneapolis, Minn./Park Center) was one of two keepers selected to this year’s team. As a sophomore for the Dutch Salado-Herrera held the league’s third-best goals-against average (1.097) and tied for second in shutouts (3). He posted a .765 save percentage to rank fourth in the conference.
Taylor Petkovich (Littleton, Colo./Heritage), also an honorable-mention selection last season, makes the jump to all-conference in this his junior year. Petkovich was part of a defensive unit that allowed the third-fewest goals in conference play (9).
Nebraska Wesleyan, the conference’s regular-season sixth-place finisher saw
Alex Day (Lake Forest Park, Wash./Shorecrest) and
Jake Kennedy (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast) selected to the all-conference team. A season ago Day was honored as an honorable-mention selection. In this his senior season, the midfielder/forward recorded two goals and one assist for five points in conference play. One of his two goals was a game-winner for the Prairie Wolves. Kennedy, earning his third-consecutive all-conference honor, tied for the eighth-most points in league play (8). The senior forward scored three goals and provided two assists, finishing in a tie for 10th and a tie for fourth, respectively.
