MILWAUKEE – For the second consecutive season,
Jake Kelderman,
Paolo Gratton, and
Logan Farrington have all picked up First-Team All-Horizon League honors when the league office announced the all-league teams and specialty award winners Friday.
In all, seven different players picked up postseason honors with
Adi Vaknin,
Gabe Anguil,
Hugo Espejo, and
Phillip Reiwerts all being selected to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team.
A season after becoming the first trio of MKE teammates to earn first-team status in the same year since 2003, Kelderman, Gratton, and Farrington did it again just seven month later. For Kelderman, it marks the fourth honor of his career, adding to the second-team accolades he won in 2019 and All-Freshman status in 2017.
Kelderman, an everyday starter since his freshman year, is approaching Top 5 career marks in school history in games played (81) and games started (78). A 2021 candidate for the Senior CLASS Award and team captain, Kelderman has recorded four points this season, coming on a pair of assists and the game-winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Green Bay to retain possession of the "Chancellor's Cup". Kelderman played every minute of the 2020 season and has not come off the field in 2021 as well, last seeing time on the bench against Eastern Illinois in October of 2019.
Gratton is second on the team and has netted five goals for 10 points this fall. The 2020 Horizon League Tournament MVP, Gratton was also selected United Soccer Coaches First Team All-Region last year after leading the Horizon League in points (tie with 22) and goals (11), finishing fourth nationally with that figure.
Farrington, the 2020 Horizon League Freshman of the Year and United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region selection last year, has picked up right where he left off. He starts the postseason as the only Horizon League player to be ranked in the Top 4 in points (22/third), goals (8/fourth), and assists (6/t-third). He leads the Panthers in all of those categories, as well as shots (52/third in HL) and shots on goal (22/fourth).
For the second time in the past three seasons, MKE has three-or-more members on the All-Freshman squad, with this also being the first time in program history that the Panthers have four.
Vaknin has made a solid contribution in his first campaign, scoring the game-winner in the season opener against Drake as part of his 8-point scoring line (3G/2A) to this point. He is third on the squad with 27 shots and had two assists in the win over Northern Kentucky. He has played all 16 games, making five starts.
Anguil has worked his way into the starting lineup, making 12 starts among his 15 appearances. The playmaker ranks tied for third in the Horizon League with his six assists and has added 21 shots. Espejo has made eight starts in 11 games, recording three points (1G/1A) and 12 shots. Reiwerts has made 13 starts in his 16 games, with his 1,238 minutes the most field time of any of the freshmen. The versatile newcomer has an assist and five shots and has started in the midfield and on defense.
Horizon League Men's Soccer Award Winners
Player of the Year: Jannis Schmidt, CSU
Offensive Player of the Year: Bojan Kolevski, CSU
Defensive Player of the Year: Thomas M'Barek, CSU
Goalkeeper of the Year: Jonathan Kliewer, DET
Freshman of the Year: Jesse Randall, NKU
Coach of the Year: Eric Pogue, OAK
All-League First League
Bojan Kolevski (F), CSU
Jannis Schmidt (MF), CSU
Thomas M'Barek (D), CSU
Jake Keldermann (D), MKE
Logan Farrington (F), MKE
Paolo Gratton (MF), MKE
Jesse Randall (F), NKU
Mikey Ketteman (F), OAK
Noah Jensen (MF), OAK
Jacob Graiber (D), UIC
Jonathan Kliewer (GK), DET
All-League Second Team
Pablo Kawecki (MF), CSU
Demetri Pliakos (F), DET
Kyle Bandyk (D), DET
Charlie Braithwaite (D), OAK
Dylan Borczak (F), OAK
Reid Sproat (D), OAK
Ville Ahola (MF), OAK
Younes Dayekh (F), UIC
Harvey Slade (MF), WSU
Reece Allbaugh (F), WSU
Andres Vaquez (GK), UIC
All-Freshman Team
Adi Vaknin (F), MKE
Gabe Anguil (MF), MKE
Hugo Espejo (MF), MKE
Philip Reiwerts (D), MKE
Jesse Randall (F), NKU
Kai Garvey (MF), OAK
Noe Bijoe (D), RMU
Josh Torres (F), UIC
Brock Pickett (MF), WSU
Connor Osterholt (F), WSU
Jonathan Kliewer (GK), DET