KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s soccer team had nine players named to the 2017 All-MIAA Team, released on Wednesday (Nov. 8). The Tigers have six first team selections and three second team selections. Brett Parker was named Coach of the Year and Derick Gonzalez was named MIAA Player of the Year.
Earning unanimous first team selections for the Tigers are forward Abdoulaye Cisse and midfielder Derick Gonzalez. They were two of the four players selected as unanimous picks as Joe Garcia, midfielder from Northeastern State and MIAA Freshman of the Year Michele Ganz of Lindenwood also with that distinction. Joining both on the first team are goalkeeper Michael Yantz, defenders Killian Gorman and Luis Torres, and midfielder Luis Mendez.
Second team selections went to defender Caesar Jones, midfielder Tobias Patino and forward Raul Fierro.
Gonzalez, a senior, earns All-MIAA First Team honors for the second straight year, while earning MIAA Player of the Year. He leads the Tigers in points with 34, entering the NCAA Tournament with ten goals, while leading the nation in assists with 14. He ranks first in the MIAA in points and total assists. Gonzalez sits in third in total goals in the conference. Gonzalez was named to the NSCAA All-Central Region first team and the D2CCA All-Central Region first team last year.
Cisse, a junior, makes his first All-MIAA First Team list. He has put up solid numbers this year as he ranks second on the team in goals (eight) and assists (seven). He leads the team in shots on goal with 22 on the year.
Yantz, a senior, earns his second straight first-team honor at goalkeeper. Yantz ranks second in the MIAA in shutouts (five) and is third in both goals against average (1.24) and save percentage (.763). He has an overall record of 8-4-2. He is now a three-time all-conference selection after earning second team honors his sophomore campaign.
Gorman, a senior, picks up his third All-MIAA honor after a first-team selection this year. Gorman was named to the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team his sophomore season.
Torres, a junior, earns his second All-MIAA First Team honor. Torres has accumulated a goal and one assist on the year while playing the second-most minutes on the pitch for the Tigers with 1,417. Torres was the lone All-America selection a year ago. He was named to the NSCAA All-Central Region First Team and the D2CCA All-Central Region First Team as a sophomore last season.
Mendez, a sophomore, picks up another All-MIAA First Team honor in his second year with the Tigers. He has scored two goals and picked up four assists on the season. Mendez was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year a season ago. He was also named to the D2CCA All-Central Region first team as a freshman.
Jones, a junior, earns second team All-MIAA honors this year. He has started in 13 matches on the year and has logged 1,045 minutes on the pitch. He has two goals and one assists to his credit this season.
Patino, a junior, receives second team honors for the second straight year. Patino has set up his teammates with four assists on the season.
Fierro, a junior, earns second team honors in his first year as a Tiger. Fierro has recorded the only hat trick on the season when he scored three goals against Southwest Baptist. He ranks third on the team in points (16) and goals (seven) on the year.
Coach Brett Parker was named the Coach of the Year in the MIAA for the first time in his tenure at Fort Hays State. He has helped the Tigers to at least 11 wins in each of his seven seasons at the helm.
Below is the 2017 All-MIAA Men’s Soccer Team
Player of the Year
Derick Gonzalez, MF, Fort Hays State
Freshman of the Year
Michele Ganz, F, Lindenwood
Coach of the Year
Brett Parker, Fort Hays State
First Team
GK: Michael Yantz, Sr., Fort Hays State
D: Killian Gorman, Sr., Fort Hays State
D: Seth Russell, So., Upper Iowa
D: Luis Torres, Jr., Fort Hays State
D: Jeremy Tutas, Sr., Lindenwood
MF: Derick Gonzalez, Sr., Fort Hays State**
MF: Joe Garcia, Jr., Northeastern State**
MF: Gabriel Jaimes, Sr., Lindenwood
MF: Luis Mendez, So., Fort Hays State
F: Abdoulaye Cisse, Jr., Fort Hays State**
F: Ruairidh Crawford, Sr., Upper Iowa
F: Michele Ganz, Fr., Lindenwood**
F: Aaron Ugbah, So., Northeastern State
Results reflect ties in the voting
**Unanimous Selection
Second Team
GK: Ryan Davis, Sr., Northeastern State
GK: Connor Rortvedt, Sr., Upper Iowa
D: James Doyle, Fr., Northeastern State
D: Caesar Jones, Jr., Fort Hays State
D: Bailey Weeks, So., Northeastern State
MF: Marko Circo, So., Upper Iowa
MF: Italo Martin-Soares, Fr., Upper Iowa
MF: Tobias Patino, Jr., Fort Hays State
MF: Ismael Serratos, Sr., Northeastern State
MF: Tyler Walker, So., Northeastern State
F: Raul Fierro, Jr., Fort Hays State
F: Justin Todd, Jr., Northeastern State
Honorable Mention
Northeastern State: Andrew Galvan, D
Southwest Baptist: Alberto Rodriguez, MF
Upper Iowa: Cameron Bosacki, D