No. 16 Men’s Soccer reels in a league-high nine All-AAC awards

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (November 11, 2021) – The Milligan University men's soccer team had a league-high nine players named All-Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) on Thursday afternoon.

The No. 16-ranked Buffs finished second in the regular season standings with an 11-2 record and stands at 15-2-1 overall.

Sophomore forward Charlie Betts, junior midfielder Luke Bennett, sophomore forward Victor Castel, graduate goalkeeper Jan Kuepper, graduate defender Elies Sebbouh and junior midfielder Odin Solheim were named All-AAC First Team.

Sophomore forward Jett Carter, sophomore midfielder/defender Simen Haraldstad and graduate defender Raphael Sefriou collected All-AAC Second Team honors.

Betts reeled in First Team honors after receiving Second Team applause last season. The Australian tied for the team lead and ranked fourth in the AAC with 28 points on the year. He was sixth in the conference in goals (10) and ninth in assists (8). He earned AAC Offensive Player of the Week after notching five goals and two assists in a pair of wins over Columbia and St. Andrews.

Bennett earned First Team recognition as one of the top midfielders in the AAC. He scored in wins over Pikeville and St. Andrews and had four assists on the year.

Castel follows All-AAC Second Team honors last year with a First Team campaign in 2021. He recorded 24 points (9G, 6A) and ranked eighth in the AAC in goals, 10th in points and 14th in assists. Castel delivered clutch second-half goals in wins over Union and Bryan and scored the Buffs' lone goal in the AAC Tournament in the 77th minute at Montreat.

Kuepper repeated as the AAC's First Team goalkeeper. He ranks among the top goalkeepers in the nation statistically as he is tied for first in the NAIA with a school-record 11 shutouts and ranks eighth overall with a 0.52 goals against average. Kuepper's posted a 14-2-1 record and allowed just nine goals in 17 games this season. He made a pair of saves in the final 10 minutes to preserve Milligan's 1-0 win at Reinhardt and earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week following that effort.

Sebbouh claimed First Team status in his final season for the Buffaloes. As a starting outside back, he helped Kuepper and the Buffs post some of the stingiest defensive numbers in the nation with a 0.54 goals against average and 11 shutouts. An active offensive threat, Sebbouh tallied five goals for the year and scored early goals in wins over (RV) WVU Tech and No. 11 Dalton State. He also provided the game-winner in 84th minute in Milligan's 3-2 victory over Bryan.

Solheim earned his second all-conference nod as he was a Second Team selection last spring. He logged five goals and seven assists in his junior campaign. He distributed three assists in a win over Kentucky Christian and scored against AAC foes Truett McConnell, CIU, Columbia and Bluefield.

Carter led Milligan and ranked second in the conference with 14 goals, all off the bench, in 2021. He matched Betts with a team-best 28 points to rank fourth in the AAC. He scored game-winning goals in key road wins at Montreat and at Reinhardt. He scored in 11 of 18 games, including multi-goal efforts against Kentucky Christian, Columbia and Bluefield.

An injury thrust Haraldstad into a starting role as a center back for the final 12 games of the season. In those 12 games, Milligan posted eight shutouts and allowed just six goals. He recorded four assists and scored in Milligan's win at KCU.

Sefriou closed his career with a second-straight All-AAC nod after snagging First Team honors last season. He led Milligan and tied for the conference lead with 11 assists. He added six goals to total 23 points for the year.

As a team, Milligan ranks fourth in the nation with 4.17 goals per game and fifth with a school-record 75 goals. Defensively, the Buffs are seventh nationally with a 0.54 goals against average and tied for the most shutouts in the NAIA (11).

Milligan has been ranked in every NAIA Men's Soccer Coaches' Top 25 poll, peaking at No. 9 in the nation during the season. The Buffs hope to earn an at-large bid to the 2021 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship Opening Round. The NAIA will reveal its postseason field Monday at 1:00 p.m.