NEWTOWN, Pa. (November 10, 2023) – Senior defender Fritz Kabeiseman from the Stevens Institute of Technology men's soccer team was named MAC Freedom Defensive Player of the Year while nine players made All-Conference Teams, the league office announced Friday as part of its all-conference team announcement.
Kabeiseman was also named to the First Team, along with graduates Bruno Andino and Justin Cross, and juniors Adam Berrocal and Luca Campbell. Senior Dylan Maund was named to the Second Team along with junior Emerico Vespucci and sophomore Ethan Hagen. Junior Terry Thompson was named an Honorable Mention.
The selection was the fourth career All-Conference honor for Andino while Kabeiseman earned his third career selection. Campbell earned his second All-Conference nod and his first first team selection. Cross also was selected for the second time, while the rest of the Ducks mentioned earned their first career All-Conference selection.
"Congratulations to Justin, Fritz, Ethan, Dylan, Bruno, Luca, Emerico, Terry and Adam for their All-Conference selections," head coach Dale Jordan stated. "They have put in incredible performances for the team this season that helped us win the MAC Freedom title. They should be extremely proud of their achievements this season."
Kabeiseman earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after an impressive season on the back line for the Ducks. The 6 foot 4 senior has been a part of ten clean sheets. Stevens only allowed 0.67 goals per game, which was tops in the MAC Freedom. Not only was he a force on defense, he was always a threat on offense. The Portland, Oregon native scored the winning goal in the MAC Freedom Championship game against Lebanon Valley, earning him MAC Freedom Tournament MVP.
"A big congratulations to Fritz for this well deserved award," Jordan said. "He has been incredible for our back line. He defends and shuts down the oppositions main attacking threat while at the same time being a critical piece to our attacking build up. I'm sure he would be the first to acknowledge the rest of the defensive unit and their role in this award. Congrats to Fritz for a great season."
Andino has earned an All-Conference selection each season at Stevens that the conference gave out at the end of season awards (No awards were given out in 2020), as he earned first team honors for the third time in his career. Andino led the Ducks in points with 16, scoring six goals and adding four assists. His point total was also third best in the conference. The graduate student scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Arcadia earlier in the season.
Cross had another massive season for the Ducks, earning him first team honors for the second straight season. Cross has kept 10 shutouts this season, including one in the MAC Freedom Championship, and has a 10-2-5 record. The graduate has allowed just .710 goals per game, which is best in the conference. The Kendall Park, New Jersey native has made 34 saves so far this season.
Campbell built off of his impressive campaign last year as he earned first team honors this season. The junior was second on the team in points after he tallied 14,scoring five goals and adding four assists. His goal and assist tallies were each tied for seventh in the MAC Freedom. He led the Ducks in game-winning goals with three, which was also tied for tops in the conference.
Berrocal had a breakout campaign for the Ducks as he landed on the conference's first team. The junior set a career high in goals as he scored six on the season, which was tied with Andino for the team lead. The Manville, New Jersey native recorded his first career hat trick in a 4-0 win against DeSales, scoring all three goals in less than 25 minutes.
After a slow start to the year, Vespucci picked up speed during the crucial part of the season, earning him second team honors. He totaled four points this year, scoring once and adding two assists. He scored his goal in a 3-2 win over King's and provided the assist in a 1-0 victory over Arcadia.
Maund was a key force in the central part of the field for the Ducks this season. Playing as a defensive midfielder, he helped the team keep ten shutouts, which helped him earn second team honors. He also scored once in a 2-1 win over FDU-Florham and assisted the winning goal in the MAC Freedom Championship game.
Hagen was another vital player on the back line for Stevens as the right back also earned a second team selection. The sophomore was lock down all season, rarely letting the opposing players get by him. He was also a part of those ten shutouts.
Thompson rounds out the All-Conference selections as he was named an honorable mention. The junior played next to Kabeiseman for most of the season in the center back partnership, playing a role in nine shutouts. He also scored a career high two goals in the MAC Freedom Semifinals over Misericordia.
Lebanon Valley swept the rest of the major awards, as Nathan Prex was named Offensive Player of the Year, Logan Hicks was named Rookie of the Year, and Charlie Grimes was named the conference's Coach of the Year.
Up Next: Men's Soccer is in Worcester, Mass. as they take on Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) on Saturday, Nov. 11 in the NCAA Tournament. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. and links for live stats and video are posted to StevensDucks.com.
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