2022 MIAC MEN'S SOCCER AWARDS

MINNEAPOLIS -- Three Augsburg University men's soccer players earned postseason honors from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, it was announced on Wednesday.

Defender Drew Collins (JR, Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) and midfielder Nick Zuchowski (SR, Wales, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) were named to the All-MIAC squad, while midfielder Alex Giles (SR, Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights HS) was named to the All-MIAC Honorable Mention squad. It's the third conference postseason honor for Zuchowski, after being named to the All-MIAC squad in 2021 and as an All-MIAC Honorable Mention honoree in 2019. Collins was an All-MIAC Honorable Mention selection last year. It's the first conference honor for Giles.

Zuchowski will finish his career as one of the top midfielders in Augsburg history, an active and solid competitor in all aspects of the game. Starting all 16 games (985 minutes, 61.6 minutes per-game) he played in this season, Zuchowski finished with eight goals and nine assists for 25 points, ranking sixth among MIAC players in goals, fourth in assists and second in points. He had three multi-goal efforts on the year -- scoring twice in a 3-1 win over UW-Superior on Sept. 1, two goals in a 4-0 win over Hamline on Sept. 13 and two goals in a 4-0 win over Carleton on Sept. 28. He also scored four penalty-kick goals in six attempts. Playing in 76 games in his career, Zuchowski finished with 22 goals and 19 assists for 63 points -- tied for eighth in school history in career goals, tied for second in assists and sixth in total points. He recorded eight game-winning goals and six penalty-kick goals in eight attempts.

Collins continued his strong career as a central defender, leading an Auggie defense that allowed just 16 goals this season (0.89 team goals against-average), the third-fewest goals allowed and third-best GAA among MIAC teams in overall statistics. Augsburg outscored its opponents by a 60-16 margin this season, with its plus-2.44 scoring margin average tops among MIAC teams, and its plus-44 goal differential tied for fifth-best among NCAA Division III teams nationally. Collins had three assists this season, including two in Augsburg's 6-2 win over UW-Whitewater on Oct. 21. He played in a team-best 1,408 minutes (78.2 minutes per-game), with 11 full-90-minute game efforts. In his 55-game college career (4,326 minutes, 78.7 minutes per-game), Collins has three goals and four assists for 10 points.

Giles was a strong defensive midfielder, providing solid support throughout the field this season. He started all 15 games he played this season, playing in 1,036 minutes (69.1 minutes per-game), including 10 games with more than 70 minutes of action. He claimed one assist, in Augsburg's 8-1 win over Minnesota-Morris on Sept. 5. In his three seasons as an Auggie (2019, 2021-22), he played in 47 games, with a goal and seven assists for nine career points.

Under 19th-year head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg finished 10-3-5 overall, 3-3-4 in MIAC play in 2022. Augsburg has recorded eight or more wins in 14 of the last 17 seasons.