ST. LOUIS, Mo. – After earning its second-straight 10-win season, the University of Evansville men's soccer team placed four student-athletes on the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete team, it was announced in a release by the conference office on Wednesday.
 
The Scholar-Athlete team, which is selected annually from a pool of athletes that boast of a 3.2 grade-point-average or better, features 14 players from around the conference with a further two taking home an honorable mention. In order to qualify, a player must have appeared in at least 75% of his team's matches and reached sophomore status in eligibility.
 
Senior midfielder Ian McGrath earns his second-straight appearance on the MVC Scholar-Athlete team. The New Lenox, Illinois native led the way for the Aces with 12 goals and six assists this season, recording six game-winning goals, including a game-winner in the 58th minute of the MVC Tournament quarterfinals that advanced the Aces to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament. A 2016 NSCAA Scholar All-American, McGrath scored 26 goals, putting him in a tie for ninth all-time at Evansville. 
 
Also earning his second-straight recognition on the MVC Scholar-athlete team is junior forward Zac Blaydes.  The Midway, Kentucky native scored twice in 2017 and added six assists in his junior campaign. Blaydes has recorded 21 assists in his Aces career, just two shy of entering the all-time top 10 at Evansville. The honor goes along with Blaydes' MVC Honor Roll recognition and MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award from 2016.
 
Sophomore defender Simon Waever captures his first MVC Scholar-Athlete team honor after being named first-team all-MVC this season. A business major Waever scored a goal and recorded an assist this season, while anchoring an Aces backline that has amassed a 1.70 goals-against average.

Capping off a stellar athletic season and academic career, senior goalkeeper Matthew Keller earns his first MVC Scholar-Athlete team honor. An MVC Commisioner's Academic Excellence Award recipient in 2014-15, 2015-16, and 2016-17 and a three-time member of the MVC Honor Roll, Keller sits second in single-season goals-against average (0.52) and single-season save percentage (.870). Keller played and started in 11 matches this season, making 40 saves and recording five shutouts.