UMAC Tournament Finalists Bethany Lutheran, UW-Superior Recognized in UMAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Awards
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) announced its Spring 2021 Men's Soccer All Conference Awards on Wednesday afternoon.
UMAC Tournament Finalists Bethany Lutheran and UW-Superior each earned a duo of major award winners. BLC's Max Busch was named Offensive Player of the Year while Head Coach Derick Lyngholm secured Coach of the Year honors.
For UWS, defender Scott Wilson was voted Defensive Player of the Year while teammate Philip Eriksen was tabbed Rookie of the Year.
Busch was the catalyst for the BLC offense, leading the UMAC in goals (19) and points (42). He scored a league-best four game-winning goals as part of that tally and earned three-consecutive UMAC Offensive Player of the Week Awards.
Busch is the first Viking to be named UMAC Offensive Player of the Year in program history. He earns his second career UMAC major award, being selected Rookie of the Year in 2019.
Lyngholm's Vikings, with Busch at the forefront, soared to new heights in 2021, reaching their first-ever UMAC Postseason Championship match. BLC posted a 7-2 record, which included a 6-1 mark in conference play, suffering their only two losses of the season to champion UWS.
He is the first BLC men's coach since Rob Pipal in 2010 to be named Coach of the Year by his peers.
UWS' Wilson anchored the Yellowjacket backline, which surrendered just eight goals in 12 total games. In UMAC play, UWS was even better, conceding just five goals, all of which came in a 6-5 win over BLC in the regular season.
The Ladybank, Scotland-native also tallied four goals and one assist on the offensive end, showing his versatility and ability to get into the attack. The Yellowjackets have now won the last six Defensive Player of the Year awards, dating back to 2015.
Wilson's teammate Eriksen made an immediate impact in his first season with UWS, scoring five goals. The freshman forward racked up 12 total points and registered 16 shots in 11 games played.
Eriksen is the first Yellowjacket to be named Rookie of the Year since Blake Perry in 2018 and the fourth-overall in program history.
Martin Luther won the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represents sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Each team also had one representative named to the individual sportsmanship award list.
Offensive Player of the Year – Max Busch, Bethany Lutheran
Defensive Player of the Year – Scott Wilson, UW-Superior
Rookie of the Year – Phillip Eriksen, UW-Superior
Coach of the Year – Derick Lyngholm, Bethany Lutheran
UMAC First Team All-Conference
| Name |
Year |
Pos. |
School |
| Vincent Ayodi |
Sr. |
MF |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Protus Babaya |
Jr. |
F |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Max Busch |
So. |
F |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Keegan Chastey |
Fy. |
MF |
St. Scholastica |
| Jamie Colvill |
Fy. |
G |
Northland |
| Thijs Middledorp |
Fy. |
F |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Miguel Ocampo |
Sr. |
MF |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Blake Perry |
Jr. |
F |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Benjamin Phillips |
Fy. |
D |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Ken Pryde |
So. |
D |
St. Scholastica |
| Scott Wilson |
Jr. |
D |
Wisconsin-Superior |
UMAC Second Team All-Conference
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Cameron Brookfield |
Fy. |
F |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Jonah Evans |
So. |
F |
Northland |
| Jordan Finneran |
So. |
F |
St. Scholastica |
| Archie Gjerdrum |
Sr. |
MF |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Ainsworth Grant |
Jr. |
MF |
Northland |
| Ulrik Lager |
Sr. |
G |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Tim Maupin |
Jr. |
D |
Crown |
| Noah Merritt |
Jr. |
D |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Harry Reed |
So. |
D |
Northland |
| Devon Thompson |
Sr. |
MF |
Minnesota MOrris |
| Domingos Vital |
Jr. |
D |
Bethany Lutheran |
UMAC Honorable Mention All-Conference
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Julio Castanon |
So. |
MF |
Bethany Lutheran |
| Jefri Damas |
Sr. |
D |
Wisconsin-Superior |
| Isaac Friesen |
Fy. |
D |
Northwestern |
| Caleb Hengst |
So. |
D |
Martin Luther |
| Josh Higgins |
Sr. |
G |
Maritn Luther |
| Zach Madill |
Jr. |
D |
St. Scholastica |
| William Marsen |
Fy. |
MF |
St. Scholastica |
| Luke McCann |
So. |
MF |
St. Scholastica |
| Colin O'Reilly |
Jr. |
F |
St. Scholastica |
| Johnathan-Thomas Olsen |
Fy. |
F |
Northwestern |
| Isaias Santos |
Fy. |
MF |
Martin Luther |
| Taylor Tran |
Jr. |
D |
St. Scholastica |
| Carter Watkinson |
So. |
MF |
Minnesota Morris |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award - Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran: Edmond Jones
Crown: Devon Cairns
Martin Luther: Mark Burger
Minnesota Morris: Ethan Pherson
North Central: Adam Vang
Northland: Dah Nay Htoo
Northwestern: Luke McCann
St. Scholastica: Zach Madill
Wisconsin-Superior: Sam Waylee, Jr.