Posted: Nov 13, 2017

Pochop named IIAC Offensive MVP for second time, six recognized on All-IIAC Team

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Garrett Pochop earned Offensive Most Valuable Player honors for the second year in a row to highlight Simpson's six selections to the 2017 All-Iowa Conference Men's Soccer Team, as voted on by the league's nine head coaches.

Pochop became just the second player in league history to earn the award in back-to-back seasons and is the only two-time MVP in school history. He is joined on the All-IIAC Team by senior midfielder Nick Joslyn, sophomore forward Tanner Alderson and freshman goalkeeper Jake Potratz. Sophomore midfielder Brendan Owings and sophomore defender Connor Robson received honorable mention nods.

In a change from previous seasons, the All-IIAC team was not designated by first and second team selections, but rather a single, 22-person all-conference team.

Pochop polished off his record-breaking career with an IIAC-leading 17 goals in 2017. He tied for the team lead with seven assists, giving him a league-best 41 points. During the season the Pierre, S.D. native became the school's career leader in goals and points, finishing with 49 goals and 116 points. The five-time conference player of the week tallied 18 career assists, good for sixth all-time.

His 49 career goals ranked eighth nationally among active Division III players. Pochop finished the season ranked 14th in Division III in goals and 17th in points. He closes his career as a three-time All-IIAC honoree.

A fellow team captain with Pochop, Joslyn earned all-conference honors for the second time in his career after a second-team nod in 2016. The defending midfielder anchored a Storm defense that tied for the league's lowest goals against average (1.05). The Baldwin City, Kan. native tied for the team lead with seven assists and added one goal, giving him eight goals and 16 assists during his career.

The conference's second-leading goal scorer behind Pochop, Alderson took home his first all-conference nod in 2017 after scoring 16 goals. The three-time IIAC Player of the Week ranked 21st in Division III in total goals while his seven game-winners were the fifth-highest in the country. The Parkville, Mo. native had three, multi-goal games, including a three-goal effort in a 4-1 win over Grinnell on Sept. 13.

Just a freshman, Potratz established himself as one of the top netminders in the league in his rookie campaign. The Norwalk, Iowa native made 87 saves on the season while boasting a .948 goals against average, tied for the league lead. A three-time IIAC Defensive Player of the Week, Potratz was the only keeper in the league to rank among the top two in the conference in goals against average, total saves and saves per game (4.83).

Owings and Robson brought home honorable mention honors for the first time in their careers. A native of Baldwin City, Kan., Owings started all 20 games. Originally from Ankeny, Iowa, Robson also started all 20 games and scored one goal.

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2017 ALL-IOWA CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Miguel Pina, Jr. MF/F, CEN
Chris Rigby, So., MF, DBQ
Kyle Klatka, Sr., D, DBQ
Ike Bruns, Jr., D, LOR
Javi Simon, Jr., MF, LOR
Jacob Peterson, Sr., GK, LOR
Mark Broderick, So., MF, LOR
Spencer Moore, Sr., F, LOR
Adian O'Driscoll, Jr., MF, LUT
Andrew Avram, Jr., MF, LUT
Ahmed Osman, Sr., D, LUT
Ben Keller, So., F, LUT
Brunno Colon, Jr., F, LUT
Rafael Broseghini, Jr., MF, LUT
Jake Kennedy, Jr., F, NWU
Garrett Pochop, Sr., F, SIM
Jake Potratz, Fr., GK, SIM
Nick Joslyn, Sr., MF, SIM
Tanner Alderson, So.,MF/F, SIM
Ben Johnson, Jr., F, WAR
Jakub Rys, Sr., D, WAR
Jay Tegge, Sr., MF, WAR

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kevin Edgar, Jr., D/MF, BVU
Willy Salamanca, Sr., MF, BVU
Daniel Alanis, Jr., MF, CEN
Kiel Pederson, Jr., D, CEN
Sal Salado-Herrera, Fr., GK, CEN
Salvador Villanueva, Sr., MF, CEN
Taylor Petkovich, So., MF, CEN
Nick Kielty, Sr., D, COE
Zach Serovy, Sr., GK, COE
Brandon White, Fr., GK, DBQ
Matheus Dos Santos, Sr., MF, DBQ
Tim Gustavsson, Fr., D, DBQ
Miles McDonnell, So., MF, LOR
Ryan Pacholski, Jr., D, LOR
Bernardo Marotti, Sr., D, LUT
Harry Merz, So., D, LUT
Alex Day, Jr., D, NWU
Brady Blazek, Sr., F, NWU
Jack Nespor, Sr., GK, NWU
Luke Livingston, Fr., D, NWU
Luke Thaller, Sr., D, NWU
Brendan Owings, So., MF, SIM
Connor Robson, So., D, SIM
Ayo Adebayo, Jr., F, WAR
Daniel Luzindya, Jr., MF, WAR