The University of Evansville men's soccer program keeps improving under the leadership of second year head coach Mike Jacobs, and the Aces' improvement is reflected by NCAA statistics released today.

Evansville finished sixth nationally in NCAA Division I Total Offense, scoring 45 goals in 20 matches for 2.25 goals per match.  Senior forward Cory Elenio ended up 24th nationally in assists with nine in 20 matches for 0.45 per match, and sophomore defender Kieran Purcell finished 41st nationally with seven assists in 17 matches for a 0.41 average.

Those numbers are just a small part of the success that Evansville produced in 2007, a year in which the Aces reached 10 victories for the first time since 1999, finished third in the Missouri Valley Conference regular season standings behind two NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 teams, and reached the State Farm MVC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1999.

"We continued to make great strides for our team, both on and off the field in 2007," according to Coach Jacobs.  "Winning more matches, and against stiffer competition, shows that we are continuing to regain the form that the fans of the Aces have come to expect over the years.  As our young nucleus continues to mature and develop, we are excited about the expectations for the
upcoming 2008 season."

The Aces' 45 goals were their most since Fred Schmalz's 1996 team scored 61 on its way to winning the MVC Tournament and reaching the NCAA Tournament.  UE was just as strong defensively, allowing only 31 goals and posting four shutouts.  The 1.55 goals allowed per match was the lowest average since 2003, and the second lowest since 1997.

Elenio was chosen for the second year in a row as a first team all-Midwest Region selection, and midfielder Robby Lynch was chosen as MVC Freshman of the Year and as a member of the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman All-America Team.  A total of eight players earned MVC accolades.  They included first team all-conference players Elenio and Dustin Awe, second team selections Ian McAuley and Lynch, honorable mention choices Alec Dufty, Kipp Erskine, Reggie Edu and Mike Luttrull, and All-Freshman Team players Lynch and Luttrull.

Elenio and McAuley both ended their careers among the top 30 Evansville players in career scoring.  Elenio finished with 18 goals and 19 assists for 55 points, the 18th most in school history.  McAuley was right behind with 20 goals and nine assists for 49 points, ranking him number 23 in UE's all-time scoring list.

Evansville also did well academically.  Awe was first team on the 2007 MVC Scholar-Athlete Men's Soccer Team, and Sam Bornstein and Erik Johnson made the honorable mention team.  As a team, the Aces earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Team Academic Award for posting a team grade point average of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale.  The Aces ranked

The 2007 University of Evansville men's soccer award winners-

INTEGRA BANK Most Valuable Player: Cory Elenio
Most Valuable Player - Defense: Alec Dufty
Newcomer of the Year: Robby Lynch
Most Improved Player: Stephan Minyono
Scholar-Athlete Award (excellence on the field & in the classroom):
Corey Southers
Ironman Award (most minutes played): Kipp Erskine
Ian Coull Memorial Award: Ian McAuley
Greg Bordfeld Spirit of the Aces Award: Ben Harner