The Westminster men's soccer team had a record setting 10 student-athletes receive St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) awards on Friday, November 6, after the SLIAC Tournament Championship. Also announced at the award ceremony was junior Tripp Sheehan as the Offensive Player of the Year, junior Raul Belman as the Defensive Player of the Year, and Head Coach Andrew Bordelon as the Coach of the Year.
The Westminster Blue Jays set a new mark in the SLIAC record book, having seven individuals named to the SLIAC All-Conference First Team. The seven are Raul Belman, Tripp Sheehan, Drew Cook, Eli Sherman, Tanner Touslee, Daryl Doran, and Kevin Knobbe. All-Conference Second Team recipients are Peter Plakorus and Blake Hausman, and Kyle Collins earned a spot on the All-Conference Third Team.
Coach Bordelon led the Blue Jays to their second conference championship under his lead and to their third SLIAC Tournment Championship. This year's team finished with a perfect 9-0 conference record and are 17-2 overall heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Sheehan, a midfielder from Columbia, Mo., earned the program's first Offensive Player of the Year honor. He guided the Blue Jay attack, helping the team to a league high 75 goals. He led the SLIAC in points with 39 including 32 coming out of conference play. He sits with 12 goals and 15 assists while adding two game-winning goals.
Belman, the goalkeeper from Celaya, Mexico, also made program history by earning the first Defensive Player of the Year honors. He played in over 1230 minutes this season, starting in 15 games. He leads the league in shutouts with six and has allowed a league low nine goals scored throughout the season to post a 0.66 goals-against average. He has recorded 45 saves and holds a .833 save percentage. In conference play, Belman has allowed no goals to get past him. He broke the Westminster season and career wins record this year, holding 14 season and 36 career wins.
Cook, a junior All Conference First Team selection from St. Louis, ranks second on the team in points with 26. He scored 11 goals for the Blue Jays with four assists.
Sherman, a junior All-Conference First Team selection from Columbia, Mo., ranked third on the team with 19 points scored. He started in 17 games and scored eight goals and assisted three.
Doran, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., Knobbe, a senior from St. Louis, Mo., and Touslee, a sophomore from Olathe, Kan., were all All-Conference First Team recipients that were a part of the Blue Jay defense that anchored the team to 16 wins and 11 shutouts. They helped the team to a 0.55 goals-against average and limited the team's opponents to an average of just 3.7 shots-on-goal per game.
Plakorus, a junior All-Conference Second Team selection from Columbia, Mo., came in second in assists for the team. He assisted nine shots while adding four goals to the season.
Hausman, a sophomore All-Conference Second Team selection from Columbia, Mo., was also a part of the Blue Jay defense that held a .55 goals-against average.
Lastly, Collins, a senior All-Conference Third Team selection from St. Louis, Mo., was a part of Westminster's deadly attack. He scored six goals with one game-winning goal and assisted four.
Junior David Immanuel was the member from the Blue Jay squad named to the SLIAC All-Sportsmanship Team. One individual from each school is selected by the coach and players to be on the team.
