INDIANAPOLIS -- Detroit junior Adam Bedell has been named the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Player of the Year, as well as the League’s Offensive Player of the Year, in voting of the League’s coaches. Wright State’s Brett Elder collected Newcomer of the Year honors, while Valparaiso goalkeeper Kyle Zobeck repeated as the Goalkeeper of the Year.
Cleveland State collected the other two major awards, with junior midfielder Cam Eisses earning Defensive Player of the Year accolades. For the first time in his seven years in the Horizon League, Vikings head coach Ali Kazemaini was tabbed the League’s Coach of the Year by his peers.
Leading the Horizon League with 11 goals and 27 points, Bedell narrowly edged UIC’s Ivan Stanisavljevic to collect both Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Bedell’s five assists also tied for the League lead.
Tied for 23rd nationally in goals, Bedell’s last goal of the regular season clinched Detroit’s first regular-season title since 2005. The junior was named the League’s Offensive Player of the Week on four occasions, most recently on Nov. 5.
Zobeck’s four shutouts tied for second in the conference, trailing only Cleveland State’s Brad Stuver, a Second Team All-League selection. With a 0.84 goals-against average, Zobeck paced the conference for the second straight season, turning in 52 saves for the Crusaders.
Eisses helped lead a Cleveland State defense that was one of just two in the Horizon League to allow less than a goal per game, as the Vikings gave up 0.89 per match. With seven clean sheets, the Vikings led the conference. From his midfield spot, Eisses also chipped in three assists.
Elder became the second straight Wright State player to earn Newcomer of the Year accolades, joining teammate Craig Feehan. In his freshman season, Elder finished second in the League with nine goals, while his 21 points tied him with Stanisavljevic and Milwaukee’s Laurie Bell.
For the second consecutive season, Cleveland State led the First Team All-League selections with three players. Admir Suljevic, Aslinn Rodas and Eisses all represented the Vikings, while first-place Detroit put Bedell and midfielder Pat Lepera on the squad. Sophomore Jesus Torres joined Stanisavljevic to place two Flames on the team, with Zobeck edging Stuver for the First Team goalkeeper spot. Bell, Elder and Green Bay’s Sam Krenzien rounded out the 11.
The Horizon League Men’s Soccer Championship kicks off on Tuesday, Nov. 6, when No. 3 UIC hosts No. 6 Loyola at 8 p.m. ET; one half-hour later, No. 4 Valparaiso welcomes No. 5 Milwaukee at 8:30 p.m. ET. No. 1 Detroit will square off against the lowest remaining seed while No. 2 Cleveland State will meet the highest remaining team in the semifinals, which begin at 11 a.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 9. The championship contest will commence at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 11. Detroit will be the host for the semifinals and finals. The semifinals and championship will be carried live on the Horizon League Network at HorizonLeague.com.
2012 Horizon League Award Winners
Player of the Year: Adam Bedell, Detroit
Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Bedell, Detroit
Defensive Player of the Year: Cam Eisses, Cleveland State
Goalkeeper of the Year: Kyle Zobeck, Valparaiso
Newcomer of the Year: Brett Elder, Wright State
Coach of the Year: Ali Kazemaini, Cleveland State
First Team All-Horizon League
Player, School | Position | Year |
Adam Bedell, Detroit | M | Jr. |
Ivan Stanisavljevic, UIC | M | Sr. |
Admir Suljevic, Cleveland State | F | Jr. |
Laurie Bell, Milwaukee | M | So. |
Pat Lepera, Detroit | M | Sr. |
Aslinn Rodas, Cleveland State | M | Jr. |
Brett Elder, Wright State | F | Fr. |
Jesus Torres, UIC | M | So. |
Cam Eisses, Cleveland State | M | Jr. |
Sam Krenzien, Green Bay | M | Jr. |
Kyle Zobeck, Valparaiso | GK | Sr. |
Player, School | Position | Year |
Derek Zuniga, Wright State | M | Jr. |
Thomas Villamil, UIC | D | Fr. |
Jonathon Smith, Valparaiso | D | Sr. |
Eric Nieto, Valparaiso | F/M | So. |
Josh Beard, UIC | M | Jr. |
James Ashcroft, Milwaukee | D | Jr. |
Matt Ybarra, Detroit | M | So. |
Matt Nedwicki, Detroit | D | Sr. |
Zach Ellis-Hayden, Cleveland State | D | Jr. |
Declan Rodriguez, Milwaukee | M | Fr. |
Brad Stuver, Cleveland State | GK | Sr. |
Player, School | Position | Year |
Brett Elder, Wright State | F | Fr. |
Declan Rodriguez, Milwaukee | M | Fr. |
Thomas Villamil, UIC | D | Fr. |
Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit | GK | RS-Fr. |
Jordan Dover, Green Bay | M | Fr. |
Danilo Radjen, Cleveland State | D | Fr. |
Alfonso Sandoval, Cleveland State | F | Fr. |
Aaron Horvat, Milwaukee | F | Fr. |
Matt Harkema, Detroit | F | Fr. |
Jake Savino, Loyola | F | Fr. |
Jordan Aidoud, Valparaiso | M | Fr. |
