Nine Wolverines Selected for Big Ten Conference Awards
11/3/2017 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- The University of Michigan men's soccer team earned nine Big Ten awards on Friday (Nov. 3), highlighted by four Wolverines picking up all-conference awards, another three on the all-freshman team, and the program's first league Coach of the Year award.
Head coach Chaka Daley, who engineered a seven-win turnaround season that resulted in an 11-4-2 regular-season record and Michigan's first Big Ten regular-season crown, was named Big Ten Coach of the Year, the first such honor in U-M program history.
Sophomore Jack Hallahan, who leads the team in points (17) and assists (seven), took home first team all-conference honors. The Irish international has also notched a goal and assist in four matches. He becomes the 14th U-M player to be named first team All-Big Ten.
A trio of juniors -- forward Francis Atuahene, midfielder Robbie Mertz and Marcello Borges -- made the All-Big Ten second team. Atuahene, who has now been a member of an All-Big Ten team in each of his three seasons after garnering first team honors the past two years, finished the regular season in top form, as he scored the match-winning goal against both Detroit (Oct. 25) and Maryland (Oct. 29). Overall, Atuahene has five goals in 800 minutes of action, which is the top goals per match mark in the conference (0.63/match).
Mertz, the lone Wolverine to start all 17 matches, leads the team in minutes played (1,528) and boasts a pair of goals and three assists. His top moment of the season came in the 1-1 draw against Indiana on Sept. 13, as he scored the lone U-M goal against the then-No. 1 Hoosiers.
The highly regarded Borges lays claim to the title as one of the best left backs in the country. In 12 matches, he has held his assignment in check, and he contributed an assist in the 3-1 win over Northwestern on Sept. 24. The trio of honorees are the most second-team nods the program has ever received.
Forward Mohammed Zakyi and midfielders Marc Ybarra and Umar Farouk Osman were unanimous selections to the all-freshman team. Zakyi leads the team in goals with six, while Ybarra has been instrumental to U-M's success as a holding midfielder and has earned starts in 16 of 17 matches. Osman's pace and athleticism have made him a danger man for U-M, and he boasts a pair of assists to go along with 21 shots.
Lastly, senior Tristan Jacob earned the Big Ten Sportsmanship award for exemplary behavior on and off the pitch.
Michigan is the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and will host a quarterfinal-round match at 1 p.m. Sunday (Nov. 5) at U-M Soccer Stadium. The Wolverines will play the winner of the first-round match between No. 8 seed Northwestern and No. 9 seed Rutgers, scheduled for noon Saturday (Nov. 4) at U-M Soccer Stadium. Admission is free for Saturday's match, and tickets are on sale for Sunday.
• Big Ten Release
