2017 Men's Division I Postseason Awards

2017 Men's Division I Postseason Awards
by TopDrawerSoccer
December 18, 2017

The 2017 men’s Division I college season ended the same way the past two seasons concluded: with Stanford sitting on top.

It’s no surprise to see the Cardinal ever-present in the 2017 TopDrawerSoccer.com Postseason awards as a result.

That starts with this year’s Player of the Year award, as center back Tomas Hilliard-Arce captures this year’s award. Eclipsing a talented field that includes Jon Bakero (Wake Forest), Chris Mueller (Wisconsin) and Cameron Lindley (Wake Forest), Hilliard-Arce’s college career ended with a third straight national title. The central defender, who also earned the Pac-12’s Defender of the Year honor, led a defense that conceded nine goals in 23 games. He scored four times, including the game-winning tally in the NCAA Quarterfinal against Wake Forest, though his ability to read the game and make crucial interventions separates himself as the best player in college soccer.

Another central defender picks up Freshman of the Year honors. Akron defender Joao Moutinho earned the nod, pipping a tight race that featured American talent like Mason Toye (Indiana), Brandon Servania (Wake Forest) and Manny Perez (NC State). An international recruit from Portugal, Moutinho was stellar after winning a starting job as a center back. Forming a partnership with Daniel Strachan, Moutinho played 2,160 minutes, starting 24 games for the semifinalists. He also chipped in three goals and five assists, playing four games in the midfield. The 6-foot, 160-pound defender’s ability to cope with the size and physicality of the best attackers in college soccer was notable.

Securing the first-ever men’s Coach of the Year award is Stanford’s Jeremy Gunn. Now a three-time national champion, Gunn orchestrated yet another title triumph, finishing the 2017 season with a 19-2-2 record. Gunn and the rest of the coaching staff had the game plan to beat three of the best teams in college soccer during the last three games of the NCAA Tournament, besting Wake Forest, Akron and Indiana – three loaded programs.

Check out the complete TopDrawerSoccer.com Postseason Awards below for the Men’s Division I season.

Player of the Year: Tomas Hilliard-Arce, Stanford

Freshman of the Year: Joao Moutinho, Akron

Coach of the Year: Jeremy Gunn, Stanford

TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Teams

First Team

F: Jon Bakero (Wake Forest), Christopher Mueller (Wisconsin), Jon Gallagher (Notre Dame)

M: Cameron Lindley (North Carolina), Jean-Christophe Koffi (Virginia), Rafael Andrade Santos (VCU), Antonio Bustamante (William & Mary)

D: Grant Lillard (Indiana), Tomas Hilliard-Arce (Stanford), Wyatt Omsberg (Dartmouth)

GK: Jimmy Hague (Michigan State)

Second Team

F: Foster Langsdorf (Stanford), Arthur Bosua (Columbia), Santiago Patino (Florida International)

M: Christopher Lema (Georgetown), Brandon Bye (Western Michigan), Rey Ortiz (Portland), Drew Skundrich (Stanford)

D: Tim Kubel (Louisville), Jordan Cano (SMU), Aaron Herrera (New Mexico)

GK: Ben Lundgaard (Virginia Tech)

Third Team

F: Marcelo Acuna (Virginia Tech), Garrett McLaughlin (SMU), Alan Winn (North Carolina)

M: Eryk Williamson (Maryland), Handwalla Bwana (Washington), Oliver Shannon (Clemson), Jose Carrera-Garcia (California)

D: Joao Moutinho (Akron), Andrew Gutman (Indiana), Jimmy Fiscus (Michigan State)

GK: James Marcinkowski (Georgetown)

Freshman Best XI Teams

First Team

F: Manny Perez (NC State), Mason Toye (Indiana), Rodney Michael (UC Santa Barbara)

M: Brandon Servania (Wake Forest), Blake Bodily (Washington), Marc Ybarra (Michigan), Dawson McCartney (Dartmouth)

D: John Nelson (North Carolina), Hjalmar Ekdal (UNC Wilmington), Ulrik Edvarsen (VCU)

GK: Trey Muse (Indiana)

Second Team

F: Tajon Buchanan (Syracuse), Griffin Dorsey (Indiana), Davis Smith (Massachusetts)

M: David Loera (NC State), Joe Bell (Virginia), Omir Fernandez (Wake Forest), Nabi Kibunguchy (UC Davis)

D: Logan Panchot (Stanford), Daniel Strachan (Akron), Blake Willis (Columbia)

GK: William Pulisic (Duke)

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