Lilly coach of the year, eight Buffs make All-AAC
Milligan University Head Coach David Lilly won coach of the year, and nearly his entire starting squad earned a spot on the Appalachian Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer All-Conference team, as announced by the AAC league office Friday morning.
MILLIGAN, Tenn. (April 9, 2021) – Milligan University Head Coach David Lilly won coach of the year, and nearly his entire starting squad earned a spot on the Appalachian Athletic Conference Men's Soccer All-Conference team, as announced by the AAC league office Friday morning. The award announcement came on the heels of the No. 25 Buffs earning co-champion of the AAC regular season and the AAC tournament runner-up.
Inaki Moreno highlighted the players' awards as the AAC offensive player of the year.
Moreno, Jan Kuepper and Raphael Sefriou earned All-Conference first team. Charlie Betts, Victor Castel, Marius Grytdal, Andre Levarity and Odin Solheim earned All-Conference second team.
Lilly led the Buffs to its first AAC regular-season title since winning it back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. They went 11-2 (9-1 AAC) and qualified for the NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship for the first time since 2006. Milligan will enter the national tournament winners of six of their last seven games, including a win over No. 14 WVU Tech.
Moreno was one of the Buffs' biggest factors on the offensive end. He scored five goals and assisted 10 others, the latter ranking No. 1 in the AAC and No. 6 in the NAIA.
Lilly's team boasted a handful of other weapons among the starting 11, including Castel (seven goals, three assists), Betts (five goals, four assists) and Sefriou (one goal, five assists). Castel ranked in the top 10 in the NAIA for game-winning goals with four.
Kuepper backed a stout Milligan defense that ranked No. 35 in the nation with five shutouts. The Buffs conceded only 15 goals in 13 games and only once conceded more than two goals in any one game. Kuepper made 28 saves on the season as his team ranked No. 3 in the AAC in goal against average.
Milligan next competes in the national tournament, with opening-round dates set for April 22-24 at locations to be determined. The final site dates are May 4-10 at Blanchard Woods Park in Evans, Georgia. More information on the national championship is forthcoming.