CARMEL, Ind. – The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) announced the Men’s Soccer All-Conference and marquee awards winners on Tuesday.
For the third straight year, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology forward
Takezo Kelly (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the Offensive Player of the Year title. The senior helped lead the Fightin’ Engineers to an unbeaten record of 8-0-1 in league play. He led the league in shots (54) and shots on goal (33) in 2021. Kelly was tied for first in the league in goals with 10 and also added four assists. His 24 conference points were also best in the league.
Rose-Hulman also had the Defensive Player of the Year, with
Zach Buvalic (Canton, MIch.) selected in a vote of league coaches. The senior saw action in 1,222 minutes for the Fightin’ Engineers getting a start in all 15 Rose-Hulman contests. He also helped direct a back line that only allowed a league leading nine goals.
This is the first year the HCAC will award a Midfield Player of the Year, with Rose-Hulman’s
Caleb Urban (Martinsville, Ind.) claiming the inaugural award. The senior was second in the league in assists, dishing out seven on the conference season. Urban also registered five goals, including a hat-trick outing against conference foes Earlham College. He played in 1,210 minutes over the course of the season and contributed on both ends of the field for the Fightin’ Engineers.
The HCAC also recognizes a Newcomer of the Year, an athlete who made an impact in their first year of athletic action. Anderson University’s
Josh Martinez (Carmel, Ind.) was selected as the Newcomer of the Year. The midfielder saw action in 10 games, including nine starts for the Ravens. He racked up two goals and one assist and had a shots on goal percentage of 46.7 percent.
Rose-Hulman front man
Sean Helliwell was named the 2022 HCAC Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year. Helliwell led the Fightin’ Engineers to the No. 1 seed, finishing with a 8-0-1 record in conference play and a mark of 12-1-3 overall.
Offensive Player of the Year – Takezo Kelly, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Defensive Player of the Year – Zach Buvalic, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Midfield Player of the Year – Caleb Urban, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
Newcomer of the Year – Josh Martinez, Anderson University
Coach of the Year – Sean Helliwell, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
The HCAC also honors an All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention team. The members of those teams are selected by a vote of league coaches and are listed below.
For more information on HCAC Men's Soccer, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the HCAC's home on the internet at www.heartlandconf.org. Be sure to stay up to date on all of your Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference news by following @HCACDIII on Twitter and by liking the "HCAC DIII" Facebook page.
All-Conference First Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Jak Birdsong |
MF |
Transylvania |
| Zach Buvalic |
D |
Rose-Hulman |
| Joao Domenici |
F |
Hanover |
| Stephen Fite |
MF |
Anderson |
| Sean Fleming |
D |
Hanover |
| Takezo Kelly |
F |
Rose-Hulman |
| Jacob Pohl |
D |
Rose-Hulman |
| Henry Roetker |
MF |
Transylvania |
| Dalton Taynor |
F |
Bluffton |
| Caleb Urban |
MF |
Rose-Hulman |
| Drew Vaughn |
D |
Anderson |
| Angel Velasco-Urbina |
GK |
Bluffton |
| Eddy Yousak |
F |
Franklin |
All-Conference Second Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Clayton Anderson |
D |
Hanover |
| Quentin Berry |
F |
Earlham |
| Noah Black |
D |
Manchester |
| Mitchell Crispin |
F |
Transylvania |
| Luke Dawdy |
D |
Rose-Hulman |
| Tyler Dobbs |
D |
Transylvania |
| Alex Farias |
MF |
Hanover |
| Eric Hicks |
D |
Transylvania |
| Usman Kamara |
F |
Anderson |
| Julian Keough |
MF |
Manchester |
| Fernando Martin |
MF |
Hanover |
| Kai Moore |
MF |
Rose-Hulman |
| Luciano Salemi |
GK |
Hanover |
| AJ Yilmaz |
F |
Rose-Hulman |
All-Conference Honorable Mention Team
| Name |
POS |
Institution |
| Michael Abel |
F |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Jordan Bossman |
MF |
Anderson |
| Ruben Gonzalez |
MF |
Manchester |
| Braden Guinn |
F / MF |
Earlham |
| Riley Hensley |
D |
Defiance |
| Luis Martinez |
MF |
Mount St. Joseph |
| Max Nusbacher |
MF / D |
Transylvania |
| Xander Ochsner |
MF |
Hanover |
| Julius Salinas |
MF |
Rose-Hulman |
| Chase Stiner |
MF |
Defiance |
| Elijah Zimmerman |
F |
Bluffton |
| Htoo Ray Moo |
D |
Franklin |