Keller Leads 2017 SLIAC Men's Soccer Honors

Kaleb Keller heads up the list of honorees for the 2017 St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer All-Conference team and awards. Keller takes home both the SLIAC Offensive Player and the Newcomer of the Year honors, becoming just the third player in conference history to win both awards in the same season. Also earning top honors this season are Greg Ferry and Justin Schmidt, who were named Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and Donnie Alberty, who was named Coach of the Year. MacMurray College received the Team Sportsmanship award.

Keller, a freshman at Principia College, shattered the program's single-season record for goals; finishing with 17 during the regular season. Of his 17 goals, 11 came in conference play; leading all SLIAC players. He also finished with conference highs of 23 points and 69 shots this season while netting two game-winning goals. Keller tallied two hat-tricks during conference play, including a four-goal effort and scored in six of his nine conference games. Keller is the third player in Principia program history to win the SLIAC's top individual award; joining Yaw Danso (2009) and Samuel Thomas (2010). He is the first Panther to be named SLIAC Newcomer of the Year. 

Greg Ferry, from Fontbonne University, and Justin Schmidt, from Webster University, share SLIAC Defensive Player of the Year honors. This marks the first time in four years since the award was first handed out that two players have shared the award. Ferry, a senior, was a linchpin for the Griffins on both the defensive side of the ball while also playing a key role in the attack. Ferry started all 19 games on the backline for the Griffins, helping them record four shutouts during conference play. Offensively, Ferry netted six of his seven goals this season against conference opponents and finished with three game-winning goals, the most among conference players. 

Schmidt, a sophomore, helped the Gorloks finish first during conference play with five shutouts. Schmidt also added one goal and one assist this season. With Schmidt in the back, the Gorloks limited their opponents to just ten shots per game while allowing just five goals during conference play, helping the team finish with a 0.53 goals-against average.

Fontbonne University Head Coach Donnie Alberty becomes the third different Griffins head coach to win the SLIAC Coach of the Year award. Alberty, in his first season with the Griffins, led his team to an 8-1 conference record; securing the program's first regular-season conference title since 2013. The Griffins finished 13-5-1 overall this season. 

The final conference award was the SLIAC Team Sportsmanship award. This award is presented to the team whose players, coaches, and fans best exhibit the principles of good sportsmanship. MacMurray College takes home the award for the first time in program history. Also honored were individuals from each team, nominated by their coach, for the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Those recognized are: Reed Gwillam, from Blackburn College; Tim Johnson, from Eureka College; Jordan Alberici, from Fontbonne University; Caleb Mulholland, from Greenville University; Jose Lorenzo, from Iowa Wesleyan University; Omar Martinez, from MacMurray College; Matt Jones, from Principia College; Trustun Ashburn, from Spalding University; Eric Tate, from Webster University; and Joshua Udinyiew, from Westminster College.

All-Sportsmanship Team