MINNEAPOLIS -- Forward Liam Paradiso (FY, Appleton, Wis./Kimberly HS) was named the 2026 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year, leading a group of five Augsburg University men's soccer players who earned postseason honors from the conference, it was announced on Monday.
 
In addition to his Rookie of the Year honor, the first for an Auggie since the award was established in 2021, Paradiso earned All-MIAC honors, along with teammate Christopher Plaza Alvarado (JR, Fridley, Minn./St. Anthony Village HS), a midfielder. Midfielder Asher Johnson (SR, Waconia, Minn./Waconia HS) and goalkeeper Finnur Mercier (FY, Denver, Colo./Denver East HS) named All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors. Defender Anson Karn (JR, Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove HS) was named to the 11-member MIAC All-Playoff Team, honoring outstanding performances in the six-team MIAC postseason playoffs. It is the first conference honors for all five Auggies. A total of 22 players earned All-MIAC honors, with 10 named All-MIAC Honorable Mention.
 
Paradiso led the Auggies in scoring in his rookie campaign, tallying nine goals with two assists for 20 points, with his goal total tied for fifth-most among MIAC players and his point total seventh-most. In league games-only, Paradiso scored six goals, tied for second-most in the conference, with his 13 points third-most. Playing in 1,139 minutes (67.0 minutes per-game), Paradiso had a pair of two-goal efforts -- in a 7-0 win over Saint Mary's on Sept. 22 and an 8-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead on Sept. 30.
 
Plaza Alvarado had another solid season as an all-around player, tallying four goals with four assists for 12 points in 16 games (1,223 minutes played, 76.4 minutes per-game). He played 60-plus minutes in 14 of his 16 games, and had a goal and assist in the Auggies' 8-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead on Sept. 30. In his 60 games in three seasons as an Auggie, Plaza Alvarado now has 12 goals and 11 assists for 35 career points.
 
Johnson, who played his first two seasons at Division I Mercyhurst (Pa.) before transferring to Augsburg, was an effective team leader in the midfield, starting all 17 games (1,266 minutes played, 74.5 minutes per-game), scoring three goals with six assists for 12 points. He had a goal or assist in six games, including a two-goal, one-assist effort in the Auggies' 8-0 win over Concordia-Moorhead on Sept. 30. In his two seasons as an Auggie (39 games), Johnson scored four goals with nine assists for 17 points. In his 61-game overall college career, he scored four goals with 10 assists for 18 points.
 
Mercier continued the tradition of outstanding goalkeeping by the Auggies with a 5-5-7 record, 1.40 goals-against-average and 71 saves (.755 save percentage, 23 goals allowed), starting all 17 games and playing 1,474 minutes. He had four individual shutouts and was part of two combined shutouts this season. His 71 saves were third-most among MIAC players in overall statistics. Mercier had a season-best nine saves in two games -- a 0-0 tie with then-No. 25-ranked Luther (Iowa) on Sept. 6 and a 1-0 loss to Macalester on Oct. 30.
 
Karn had a solid defensive performance in Augsburg's 3-2 loss at Saint John's in the MIAC Playoff Quarterfinals on Nov. 3. This season, he started 15 of his 17 games (1,216 minutes played, 71.5 minutes per-game), playing 70-plus minutes in 14 games -- full 90-minute efforts in five contests. In 53 career games, Karn has three assists.
 
Under 23rd-year head coach Greg Holker, Augsburg finished 5-5-7 overall, 4-3-3 in MIAC play in 2026, earning a berth in the MIAC postseason playoffs for the 11th time in Holker's tenure and fourth year in a row.