Horizon League announces men's soccer All-League teams and specialty award winners
Nov. 6, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Indianapolis, Ind -- Sophomore forward Michael Ferguson of Loyola University Chicago added to his personal résumé Tuesday (Nov. 6) when the Horizon League announced its postseason men's soccer awards.
Ferguson was named the League's Player of the Year in voting by the circuit's nine head coaches. The sophomore from Overland Park, Kan., who ranks among the nation's top ten scorers with 15 goals and 32 points this season, is the first Rambler to receive the League's top player award. His mentor, Loyola's Brendan Eitz, earned Coach-of-the-Year honors, while Wright State University freshman midfielder Carl Ebers was chosen as the Newcomer of the Year.
Ferguson, who also was tabbed as the Offensive Player of the Year, scored eight of his 15 goals in League play, including the eventual match-winner in all five of the Ramblers' loop victories. His performance paced the Ramblers to their first-ever outright regular-season title as Loyola (10-4-4 overall, 5-1-2 in the League) owns the top seed for the Horizon League Men's Soccer Championship, which begins Friday at campus sites. The speedy forward scored in six of LU's eight League contests and netted a hat trick against Wright State University on Oct. 12.
Eitz led the Ramblers to a ten-win regular season after being picked to finish fourth in the League's preseason poll. His squad dropped two of its first three matches but lost only one of its next 14 outings, racing to the regular-season League title. That (9-1-4) streak included a 1-0 overtime victory at (then-)20th-ranked University of California-Irvine on Sept. 21.
Ebers played a pivotal role in the Raiders' defensive turnaround as Wright State won four consecutive matches in mid-October to claim the sixth seed with a 3-5-0 League record (7-12-0 overall). He started 18 of WSU's 19 matches during the regular season and helped spark a defensive unit that allowed only one goal during its four-contest run of success, including two shutouts against League foes. He follows in the footsteps of sophomore teammate Braden Fleak, who won the same award last fall.
The 11-member First-Team All-League honor roll includes three of Eitz's players in Ferguson, senior defender Iradj Farahmand II and sophomore midfielder Eric Gehrig. Farahmand and Gehrig were instrumental in the Ramblers' defensive efforts as Loyola allowed only two goals in its eight League contests in posting a 5-2-1 loop ledger. Farahmand's leadership drew added merit with his recognition as the League's Defensive Player of the Year. He was the Most Valuable Player of the 2006 Horizon League Championship after leading LU to its first League title and initial NCAA Championship appearance. Gehrig also produced two goals and two assists during the regular season in 2007.
The University of Illinois at Chicago placed four players on the First Team, including midfielder Pavle Dundjer. The senior became the first player in League history to earn First-Team honors four times, with the latest award capping a season that featured two goals and three assists while anchoring the midfield for UIC. Senior forward Cesar Zambrano joined Dundjer, ranking among the League leaders in goals (fourth with five), assists (third with five) and points (fifth with 15). Sophomore midfielder Baggio Husidic scored two of his three goals in League competition, while sophomore goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja leads the League with a 0.61 goals-against average while posting eight shutouts during the regular season.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay each had two selections to complete the First team. Senior midfielder Zeke Dombrowski and senior defender Steve Bode represented the Panthers, while junior forward Tosaint Ricketts and senior midfielder Dan O'Brien provided the Green Bay presence.
Dombrowski notched four goals and three assists during the regular season and Bode anchored the Panther defensive efforts, leading UWM to a 5-2-1 League record and the second seed in the League Championship. Dombrowski is the fifth brother in his family to win First-Team All-Midwestern Collegiate Conference/Horizon League honors, joining older siblings Scott (2000) Chad (2001 and 2002), Tighe (2001-03), and Neil (2005). Ricketts was one of the League's top scorers, hitting the net five times during the regular season, while O'Brien's five assists put him third among the circuit's set-up artists.
The Second-Team All-League rolls include three players from Butler University---junior forwards Frank Patano and Eduardo Garcia along with sophomore midfielder Boris Gatzky---plus two each from League newcomer Valparaiso University and the University of Detroit Mercy. Patano stands second on the League charts with 14 goals, including eight in his last four outings.
Junior forward Oscar Lomeli and sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Schwarz became Valpo's first All-Horizon League honorees with junior midfielders Christian King and Renato Susnja representing UDM. Loyola senior midfielder Keum Sung Kim, a First-Team selection in both 2005 and 2006, drew Second-Team notice this fall along with Ebers, Green Bay senior midfielder Lati Ziba and Cleveland State University sophomore defender Mitch Boyer.
Ebers headlines the 11-player All-Newcomer Team that also features fellow All-League picks Lomeli, Gatzky and Susnja, along with junior goalkeeper Brian Byrne of Loyola. Byrne ranks second in the League and 23rd in the nation with a 0.68 goals-against average. Freshman midfielders JC Banks and David Prochazka representing Green Bay, while freshman midfielder Willie Koss joined teammate Byrne on the honor roll. Butler freshman midfielder Kyle Pateros, UIC freshman midfielder Charlie Trout and Milwaukee freshman defender Greg Rosenthal complete the 11-player unit.
Schwarz received the Goalkeeper of the Year award in separate voting. Schwarz posted a League-high 84 saves during the regular season, compiling a 1.02 goals-against average with two shutouts in his eight League appearances.
The chase for the League title begins Friday (Nov. 9) with three first-round matches as Green Bay hosts Cleveland State, Detroit visits Butler and Valparaiso travels to Wright State. Loyola hosts the final two rounds of the tournament, with semifinals scheduled for Friday, Nov. 16, and the winner of the championship showdown (Sunday, Nov. 16) receivng an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship.
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2007 Horizon League Men's Soccer Award Winners
All-League First Team:
Name * School * Yr. * Pos. * Hometown
Michael Ferguson * Loyola * So. * F * Overland Park, Kan.
Tosaint Ricketts * Green Bay * Jr. * F * Edmonton, Alberta
Zeke Dombrowski * Milwaukee * Sr. * M * West Allis, Wis.
Pavle Dundjer * UIC * Sr. * M * Belgrade, Serbia
Eric Gehrig * Loyola * So. * M * Schererville, Ind.
Baggio Husidic * UIC * So. * M * Velika Kladusa, Bosnia
Dan O'Brien * Green Bay * Sr. * M * Shoreview, Minn.
Cesar Zambrano * UIC * Sr. * M * Chicago, Ill.
Steve Bode * Milwaukee * Sr. * D * Milwaukee, Wis.
Iradj Farahmand II * Loyola * Sr. * D * Northbrook, Ill.
Jovan Bubonja * UIC * So. * GK * Belgrade, Serbia
All-League Second Team:
Name * School * Yr. * Pos. * Hometown
Eduardo Garcia * Butler * Jr. * F * Lima, Peru
Oscar Lomeli * Valparaiso * Jr. * F * Jalisco, Mexico
Frank Patano * Butler * Jr. * F * Franklin Park, Ill.
Carl Ebers * Wright State * Fr. * M * Malmo, Sweden
Boris Gatzky * Butler * So. * M * Reutlingen, Germany
Keum Sung Kim * Loyola * Sr. * M * Arlington Heights, Ill.
Christian King * Detroit * Jr. * M * Barbados
Renato Susnja * Detroit * Jr. * M * Dearborn, Mich.
Lati Ziba * Green Bay * Sr. * M * South Milwaukee, Wis.
Mitch Boyer * Cleveland State * So. * D * Parma, Ohio
Ryan Schwarz * Valparaiso * So. * GK * Rockford, Ill.
All-Newcomer Team:
Name * School * Yr. * Pos. * Hometown
Oscar Lomeli * Valparaiso * Jr. * F * Jalisco, Mexico
JC Banks * Green Bay * Fr. * M * Milwaukee, Wis.
Boris Gatzky * Butler * So. * M * Reutlingen, Germany
Carl Ebers * Wright State * Fr. * M * Malmo, Sweden
Willie Koss * Loyola * Fr. * M * Overland Park, Kan.
Kyle Pateros * Butler * Fr. * M * Janesville, Wis.
David Prochazka * Green Bay * Fr. * M * Gothenburg, Sweden
Renato Susnja * Detroit * Jr. * M * Dearborn, Mich.
Charlie Trout * UIC * Fr. * M * Nottingham, England
Greg Rosenthal * Milwaukee * Fr. * D * St. Paul, Minn.
Brian Byrne * Loyola * Jr. * GK * Arlington Heights, Ill.
Player of the Year: Michael Ferguson, Loyola
Offensive Player of the Year: Michael Ferguson, Loyola
Defensive Player of the Year: Iradj Farahmand II, Loyola
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ryan Schwarz, Valparaiso
Newcomer of the Year: Carl Ebers, Wright State
Coach of the Year: Brendan Eitz, Loyola
