2018 MIAC MEN'S SOCCER AWARDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Six Augsburg University men's soccer players earned Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason honors on Friday. Defender Daniel Hedstrom (JR, Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown HS), forward/defender Emmanuel Egbujor (SR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Champlin Park HS) and forward Lionel Vang (JR, Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) earning All-MIAC honors, defender Luke Falk (SR, Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha West HS) and goalkeeper Garrett Kaelin (JR, Stillwater, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) earning All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors, and midfielder Kouseng Yang (SR, Hugo, Minn./White Bear Lake HS) being named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team.

It marks the third straight year that Vang has earned All-MIAC honors. He was also named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region third team in 2017. It's the first conference men's soccer postseason honors for Hedstrom, Egbujor, Falk, Kaelin and Yang.

The six Auggies were key factors in one of Augsburg's best men's soccer seasons in nearly a decade. Under 15th-year Head Coach Greg Holker, Augsburg finished 12-4-4 overall, 6-2-2 in MIAC play in 2018, the team's best record since the 2010 campaign. The Auggies reached the MIAC playoff title game and qualified for the NCAA Division III national playoffs, both also for the first time since 2010. Augsburg has recorded eight or more wins in 11 of the last 13 seasons. 

Vang has been a dynamic playmaker on offense throughout his career, and this year was no exception. Playing in 17 games, he finished with four goals and six assists for 14 points, with his six goals tied for fifth-most among MIAC players in overall statistics. He had a goal or assist in nine of his 17 games this season, including four multiple-point games, and averaged 76.3 minutes played per-game.

In his 51 career games during three seasons, Vang now has 17 goals and nine assists for 43 points. He is tied for 10th in program history in career goals and tied for 12th in career points.

Hedstrom became a strong leader for the Auggies, as he was elected team captain this season. In his second season at Augsburg after transferring from Division II Northern Michigan, Hedstrom used his 6-foot-5 height to an advantage, scoring eight goals with an assist for 17 points -- with all eight of his goals coming on set pieces. His eight goals were tied for fourth-most among MIAC players, while his 17 points were tied for sixth-most. Two of his goals were game-winners -- a 2-1 win at Wisconsin-Whitewater on Aug. 31 and a 1-0, MIAC playoff semifinal win at Gustavus on Oct. 31.

Hedstrom was on the field for 1,823 of Augsburg's 1,889 minutes played this season -- an incredible 96.5 percent. In his 30 career games at Augsburg, he now has eight goals and two assists for 20 points.

A versatile player who was adept as both a forward and a defender, Egbujor led the Auggies with 19 points this season, tying Hedstrom for the team's goals lead with eight and also contributing three assists. Four of his eight goals were game-winners. His eight goals were tied for fourth-most among MIAC players, with his 19 points sixth-most. Six of his goals came in the final six games of the regular season, where the Auggies went 4-1-1 to help secure a MIAC playoff berth for the second time in a three-year span.

In three years of soccer at Augsburg (46 games), he finished his career with nine goals and five assists for 23 points. Also the most accomplished men's track and field athlete in Augsburg history, Ebgujor earned six All-American honors in nine events, while winning nine conference titles, 11 All-MIAC honors and an All-MIAC Honorable Mention honor as a sprinter.

Falk proved to be a solid force in Augsburg's back third, playing in 1,579 minutes in 19 games (83.1 minutes per-game), including 13 games where he played every minute on the field. He was part of a defense that allowed just 14 goals this season, with 10 team shutouts. It's 14 goals allowed, 0.67 team goals-against-average and 10 shutouts were all second-best among MIAC teams this season.

A player who saw action as both a forward and defender in his career, Falk finished his 71-game Augsburg career with six goals and five assists for 17 points, including two game-winning goals.

Kaelin moved into a role as Augsburg's No. 1 goalkeeper this season and shined, playing in all but nine minutes of Augsburg's 10 conference games and every minute in the postseason. In 15 games played this year, Kaelin finished with a 7-3-4 record, with 10 goals allowed (0.64 GAA), 80 saves and six shutouts -- the most for an Auggie since 2012 and tied for seventh-most in a single season in school history.

His 0.64 GAA and six shutouts were both second-most among MIAC goalkeepers in overall play, while his six goals allowed, 0.57 GAA and four shutouts in conference games-only were all tied for second among league goalkeepers. In his 23-game career at Augsburg, Kaelin has a 10-6-4 record, seven shutouts, a 1.15 career GAA and 112 saves (.812 save percentage).

Yang was named to the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team, as part of the conference's sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-MIAC Sportsmanship Team are selected by their coaches and teammates as individuals who demonstrate ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field of competition.

A center midfielder, Yang was another key part of Augsburg's defense. In 19 games and 1,372 minutes played (72.2 minutes played per-game), he scored a goal with two assists for four points. He played in 66 career games in his four seasons at Augsburg.