Fifteen UAA men's soccer student-athletes were named to the United Soccer Coaches all-region teams with five receiving first-team accolades.
First Team
Nathan Ekberg, Case Western Reserve University: Ekberg led the Spartans defensively, aiding the team to seven shutouts during the season. The Spartans defense currently ranks 104th in Division III with a 1.01 goals against average after yielding just 23 goals through 22 games. CWRU held opponents to just 10.95 shots and 4.4 shots on goal per game. In addition, Ekberg played a role on the offensive side of the pitch. Ekberg finished the 2018 campaign with five goals for 10 points, including the game-winning goal against Westminster (Pa.) on October 22.
Nicco Capotosto, University of Chicago: Capotosto became a three-time First Team All-Region honoree in his senior season. As the leader in the defensive midfield, Capotosto has helped the Maroons limit opponents to 13 goals in 21 games and rack up 12 shutouts. He has added one assist as well.
Matthew Koh, University of Chicago: As this year's University Athletic Association MVP, Koh pulled in his fourth All-Region accolade and made his second appearance on the First Team. The senior forward leads UChicago with eight assists and is second with 14 goals and 36 points. Koh is the school's all-time leader in assists with 33. He is also sixth in career goals (32) and fourth in career points (97).
Max Lopez, University of Chicago: For the third-straight season, Lopez was a First Team All-Region selection. He has earned All-Region status all four years. The senior forward paces the Maroons in scoring with 16 goals and 38 points. He is second on the squad with six assists. Lopez is the school's career leader in goals (54) and points (133). His 25 assists are third all-time.
Bryce Ikeda, University of Rochester: Ikeda is Rochester's leading scorer in 2018, with 20 points in 20 games. He has a team best seven goals and is tied for the team lead with six assists. His four game-winners rank him inside the top-50 in Division III and he is a perfect 3-3 on penalty kick attempts. Ikeda also scored both goals in UR's 2-0 win over Brockport in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Ikeda earned 3rd Team All-Region honors from the USC. Off the field, the senior co-captain has earned USC Scholar All-American honors last season and is a two-time Google Cloud Academic All-District selection by CoSIDA.
Second Team
Elliot Cohen, Carnegie Mellon University: The honor is the first regional accolade for Cohen who led the Tartans with nine goals. Three of his goals came against University Athletic Association opponents while he recorded three game winners. Cohen had a stretch of three straight games where he scored while he buried the final penalty kick in a 4-2 shootout win against Centre in the NCAA playoffs. Cohen also scored the Tartans' lone goal in a 2-1 loss at tenth-ranked Kenyon College in the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
Alex Besl, Case Western Reserve University: Besl capped off his Spartan career by posting a strong senior campaign. He finished the year tied for second on the team with nine goals and tallied three assists for 21 points. Besl accounted for three-game winning goals throughout the season, including the game-winner against then ninth-ranked Rochester (N.Y.). For his career, he has 14 goals and registered eight assists for 36 points. Besl earned UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week honors on October 29.
Zach Senft, Case Western Reserve University: Senft led the team this season with 28 points on 10 goals and eight assists. He scored game-winning goals against Heidelberg University, Adrian College and Keystone College. Senft earned UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week honors on October 15. In his two years as a Spartan, Senft has already totaled 16 goals and 11 assists for 43 points. His 28 points in a season currently ranks tied for the seventh-best mark in program history.
Aaron Katsimpalis, University of Chicago: Katsimpalis has started all 21 games in goal this season, posting an 18-2-1 record and 11 shutouts. His goals against average stands at 0.62 with an .849 save percentage and 73 saves.
Scott Lich, University of Chicago: Lich has patrolled the right back position on defense, while also adding three assists on the attack.
Ryan Sproule, Washington University: Sproule started 15 of 16 games for WashU and led the team with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points. He led the conference in the regular season in shots (86), and was also second in game-winning goals (4) and third in goals scored and points. Sproule netted the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over Brandeis Oct. 26. A two-time all-Central Region and three-time all-University Athletic Association (UAA) selection, he finished his career with 31 goals and 13 assists for 75 points. The 31 goals scored are tied for 10thmost in school history.
Third Team
Bryant Nardizzi, Brandeis University: Nardizzi led the Judges in scoring this season, tallying six goals and three assists for 15 points. He tied for ninth in the University Athletic Association in goals scored and was 12th in points. Nardizzi netted two game-winning goals, on Sept. 5 against Springfield College in a 2-0 win, and on Sept. 25, when his goal in the 53rd minute provided a 1-0 win over Wheaton College. Nardizzi also scored twice in the Judges' 8-0 win over Mass. Maritime Academy on Sept. 18. Nardizzi is a transfer from Division I North Carolina-Wilmington.
Moustafa Khattab, Emory University: The honor marks Khattab's second straight appearance on the All-Region team after earning Second Team kudos as a junior. As a senior, Khattab led the Eagles to a 9-7-2 overall record while besting the squad in goals, assists, points and game-winning goals. In 18 games, the Toronto, Ontario native finished with six goals, a career-high seven assists and 19 points. He was named the Sonny Carter Invitational Tournament MVP after registering back-to-back game-winning goals including the overtime game-winner against 14th-ranked Washington and Lee to led the Eagles to their second straight Sonny Carter crown. He added a GWG on September 15th against Millsaps to place him fourth all-time in program history with 12 game-winning markers. For his stellar career, Khattab netted 20 goals and doled out 17 assists to finish with 57 points.
Nik Angyal, University of Rochester: Angyal has been a backbone to UR's defensive unit in 2018, starting all 20 games, playing 1,740 minutes, second most among Rochester field players. He has chipped in six assists this year, tying for the team lead and ranking among the leaders in the UAA. Angyal contributed assists on goals in both of UR's wins in the 1st and 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament and has helped the Yellowjacket defense rank in the top-20 in Division III in goals against average, allowing just 0.575 goals per game.
Luke Loecher, University of Rochester: Loecher has led all Yellowjackets in minutes played this year, playing all but 42 minutes in UR's 20 games. He overall has been on the field for 1,836 minutes, and played the important center back role on defense. His play, along with other members of the UR defense have contributed to the Yellowjackets all but two opponents to one goal or less, including a school record tying 11 clean sheets in 2018. Rochester is currently ranked in the top-30 in Division III in W-L percentage, goals against average, shutout percentage and save percentage, which can be directly attributed to the Yellowjackets strong defense.