Horizon League Announces 2009 Men's Soccer All-League Teams

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INDIANAPOLIS - University of Wisconsin-Green Bay junior JC Banks has earned Horizon League Player and Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Butler University sophomore Matt Hedges has been awarded Defensive Player of the Year and teammate Julian Cardona has claimed Newcomer of the Year accolades.  Butler’s Kelly Findley takes home Coach of the Year laurels and Valparaiso University junior Ryan Schwarz is the League’s Goalkeeper of the Year.

 
Banks becomes the first student-athlete in Green Bay history to be named the Horizon League Player of the Year. The midfielder leads the conference in points (2.00) and goals per game (0.76) and is tied for first in total assists with eight.  He connected on three-game winning goals and picked up two Athlete of the Week awards in consecutive periods.  The Milwaukee, Wis., native, is also the League’s Offensive Player of the Year, the second award all-time for the Phoenix.  
 
Hedges picks up Butler’s first Defensive Player of the Year honor since the award’s inception in 2005 and along with Cardona becomes the Bulldogs’ first player to win a yearly accolade since 1998 (POY - Jeremy Aldrich).  The defender piloted a Butler defense that allowed just 10 goals in 16 games this season, including a mere four in League play.  Aside from his back-line duties, Hedges has tallied five goals and three assists in 2009.
 
Schwarz earns his second Goalkeeper of the Year award after winning his first in 2007.  He posted 66 saves and six shutouts (three in League play) this season, ranking among the top three conference leaders.   
 
Cardona becomes the first student-athlete in Butler history to win Newcomer of the Year.  The Omaha, Neb., native, leads all freshmen with an average of 0.94 points per game and ranks seconds in goals scored with six among first-year players.
 
Findley wins his first Coach of the Year laurel and the first for Butler since 1998 (Ian Martin).  The Bulldog general guided his squad to its first No. 1 seed in League tournament action in 11 years while posting an overall record of 13-2-1 and 6-1-1 in conference.  Butler is ranked No. 24 in the latest NSCAA/adidas coaches’ poll and No. 13 in the latest RPI.
 
Joining Banks on the first team from Green Bay are junior David Prochazka, sophomore Tony Walls and senior David Znaty.  Along with Hedges, seniors Kyle VondenBenken and Boris Gatzky complete the trio of Butler players on the first team.  The senior duo of Slavisa Ubiparipovic and Josh Williams from Cleveland State University earn spots on the first team along with Loyola University Chicago senior Eric Gehrig and goalkeeper Schwarz.
 
League tournament action begins Tuesday, Nov. 10, with sixth-seeded University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee traveling to No. 3 Valparaiso for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff while No. 5 University Illinois at Chicago journeys to No. 4 Cleveland State University for a 7 p.m. ET start time. Semifinals and finals will be hosted by Butler on Friday, Nov. 13 and Sunday, Nov. 15.
 
 
Please see below for annual awards and All-League teams:

Player of the Year: JC Banks, Green Bay
Offensive Player of the Year: JC Banks, Green Bay
Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Hedges, Butler
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
Newcomer of the Year: Julian Cardona, Butler
Coach of the Year: Kelly Findley, Butler

First Team All-Horizon League
F          Boris Gatzky, Butler, Sr.
D          Matt Hedges, Butler, So.
M         Kyle VondenBenken, Butler, Sr.
F          Slavisa Ubiparipovic, Cleveland State, Sr.
M         Josh Williams, Cleveland State, Sr.
M         JC Banks, Green Bay, Jr.
D          David Prochazka, Green Bay, Jr.
D/M      Tony Walls, Green Bay, So.
F          David Znaty, Green Bay, Sr.
M         Eric Gehrig, Loyola, Sr.
GK       Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso, Jr.
 
Second Team All-Horizon League
D          Conner Burt, Butler, Jr.
GK       Fabian Knopfler, Butler, Jr.
D          Mitch Boyer, Cleveland State, Sr.
F          Michael Ferguson, Loyola, Sr.
M         Willie Koss, Loyola, Jr.
M         Ivan Stanisavljevic, UIC, Fr.
F          Kevin Stoll, UIC, Jr.
M         Stefan Antonijevic, Valparaiso, So.
M/D      Adrian Ortiz, Valparaiso, Jr.
F          Steve Shively, Valparaiso, Sr.
F          Braden Fleak, Wright State, Sr.
 
Horizon League All-Newcomer Team
F          Julian Cardona, Butler
D          Jared Isenthal, Butler
F          Tyler Pollock, Butler
M         Admir Suljevic, Cleveland State
F          Aaron Adkins, Cleveland State
GK       Ryan Wehking, Green Bay
F          Andrew Wiedabach, Milwaukee
M         Josh Beard, UIC
M         Ivan Stanisavljevic, UIC
M         Jaymie Bullard, Valparaiso
D          Brad Bamberger, Wright State