2003 Men's Soccer All-MAC Team Announced
Nov. 13, 2003
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The Mid-American Conference announced its 2003 men's soccer All-MAC teams, as well as its Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Gary V. Palmisano Coach of the Year on Thursday, as voted by the league's head coaches.
Kentucky midfielder Jamal Shteiwi has been tabbed MAC Player of the Year. The junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, led the Wildcats to a regular-season title behind a conference record of 6-0-0. Shteiwi paced UK with 22 points on five goals and 12 assists.
Kentucky's Riley O'Neill is honored as the Newcomer of the Year. The freshman forward from Campbell River, B.C., tallied 15 points on six goals and three assists for the Wildcats.
Chris Karwoski was voted Coach of the Year by his colleagues after leading Western Michigan to an 11-6-2 record overall and 3-2-1 in the MAC, good for a third-place regular-season finish. In 2002, Western Michigan finished seventh in the conference and posted an overall record of 3-14-2 and 1-5-0 in the MAC. On Sunday, Nov. 16, the Broncos will make their first appearance in a MAC championship game against Bowling Green.
Dominating the All-MAC team is Akron, which tabs six first-team and two second-team members. Three of Akron's first-team honorees, forward Alex Odwell, forward Kirk Harwat and defender Mike Marich, were named to the 2002 All-MAC First Team. Joining them are 2002 second-team member defender Cameron Knowles and midfielders Hans Jorgen Haugland and Will Kletzien. The Zips' second-team honorees are midfielder Pat Beattie and goalkeeper Justin Christafaris.
The 2003 MAC regular-season champion, Kentucky, has three student-athletes on the first team and four individuals on the second team. Joining Shteiwi on the first team are defender Thomas Senecal and goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. Midfielder Joey Gaworecki, forwards Nathan Li and O'Neill and defender Brandon Stewart are honored as second-team members.
A pair of players represents Western Michigan on both All-MAC teams, including senior midfielder Scott Duhl, a first-team repeat selection. Sophomore forward Jeff Hughes joins Duhl on the first team, and midfielder Guiseppe Ianni and defender Jason Okroy garner second-team accolades.
Taking on WMU in the Nov. 16 MAC championship is Bowling Green, which is represented by two second-team selections, seniors Paul Dhaliwal, a midfielder, and Eric Duda, a defender.
As Northern Illinois' lone All-MAC selection, forward Bernhard Hagevik receives the second-team honor for the second consecutive year.
Four midfielders, three forwards, three defenders and one goalkeeper are named to each respective team.
Player of the Year
Jamal Shteiwi, Kentucky
Newcomer of the Year
Riley O'Neill, Kentucky
Gary V. Palmisano Coach of the Year
Chris Karwoski, Western Michigan
2003 All-MAC First Team
Position Name School Year Hometown
MF Jamal Shteiwi* Kentucky Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio
MF Scott Duhl* Western Michigan Sr. Canton, Mich.
MF Hans Jorgen Haugland Akron Jr. Bergen, Norway
MF Will Kletzien Akron Sr. Kent, Ohio
F Jeff Hughes Western Michigan So. Independence, Ky.
F Alex Odwell* Akron Sr. Northhampton, England
F Kirk Harwat* Akron Sr. North Royalton, Ohio
D Thomas Senecal Kentucky So. Bethesda, Md.
D Cameron Knowles# Akron Jr. Auckland, New Zealand
D Mike Marich* Akron Sr. Chesterland, Ohio
GK Andy Gruenebaum Kentucky So. Overland Park, Kan.
2003 All-MAC Second Team
Position Name School Year Hometown
MF Paul Dhaliwal Bowling Green Sr. Edmonton, Alberta
MF Joey Gaworecki Kentucky So. Houston, Texas
MF Pat Beattie Akron Sr. Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
MF Guiseppe Ianni Western Michigan Sr. Canton, Mich.
F Riley O'Neill Kentucky Fr. Campbell River, B.C.
F Bernhard Hagevik# Northern Illinois Jr. Oslo, Norway
F Nathan Li Kentucky Fr. Delta, B.C.
D Brandon Stewart Kentucky So. Dallas, Texas
D Eric Duda Bowling Green Sr. Bloomingdale, Ill.
D Jason Okroy Western Michigan Jr. Sterling Heights, Mich.
GK Justin Christafaris Akron Jr. North Olmsted, Ohio
* 2002 All-MAC First-Team Selection
# 2002 All-MAC Second-Team Selection
