ST. LOUIS – After a regular season that saw the University of Evansville men's soccer team earn a share of their first regular season conference title since 1991, the Purple Aces were well-represented on the Missouri Valley Conference All-Conference teams, netting six All-Conference selections and four specialty awards per Sunday morning's release from the league office.

Head Coach Robbe Tarver and assistants Matt Melzer, Orry Killam and Evan Dekker have been named the MVC's Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the first time Evansville has taken home the award. Sophomore goalkeeper Michal Mroz (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) also made history, earning the program's first MVC Goalkeeper of the Year Award, while fellow sophomore Martin Wurschmidt (Stevern, Norway/Thor Heyerdahl VGS) takes home Evansville's third-ever MVC Defensive Player of the Year award and the first since Robby Lynch in 2010. After posting one of the most prolific sophomore campaigns in program history, Andres Escudero (San Sebastián de los Reyes, Spain/IES Joan Miro) becomes the fourth Purple Ace to be named MVC Freshman of the Year since 2020 and fourth in the last eight seasons.

In addition to Mroz, Wurschmidt and Escudero landing on the All-MVC First Team, Nacho Diaz-Caneja (Coruña, Spain/Oregon State) earned a spot on the All-MVC Second Team, while Escudero and Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe HS) were selected to the league's All-Freshman Team.

Tarver and his staff earn the conference's staff of the year award after helping restore the Evansville men's soccer program to the top of the conference for the first time in 34 years. Under Tarver's guidance, the Purple Aces have returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 and earned a share of the MVC regular season title and secured the top seed in the MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the conference in 1994. Holding a 3-1-3 record in MVC play, the Purple Aces' conference winning percentage of .643 is the program's best mark in 11 years.

After earning a spot on the MVC All-Freshman team in 2024, Mroz established himself as one of the top keepers in the country this season. Mroz's .944 goals against average ranks 53^rd nationally, while his save percentage of .754 is good for 64^th. In MVC play, Mroz was especially stout, leading the league in goals against average (.714), save percentage (.839), and shutouts (4).

Wurschmidt was a mainstay on the Evansville back line this season as the only Purple Aces field player to play all 1,620 minutes. As a unit, the Evansville defense limited conference opponents to a league-low .71 goals per game, including four shutouts. Wurschmidt was also a threat on the offensive end of the pitch, going a perfect three-for-three from the penalty spot while adding an assist for a total of seven points.

Escudero continues Evansville's legacy of standout freshman, scoring a team-leading nine goals. His goal total is good for third among all freshmen in the country, while he is one of two freshmen in the country with three braces this season and the first UE freshman with three braces in a season since MVC Freshman of the Year Nacho Diaz Barragan in 2022. His nine goals are the most by a UE freshman since Diaz Barragan in 2022.

Diaz-Caneja, a captain of the 2025 squad, earns Second Team All-Conference honors after starting 16 matches and laying a total of 1,312 minutes. Diaz-Caneja has tallied two assists this year, both of which came in MVC play, helping the Aces to wins over Bowling Green and Western Michigan.

Shepherd earns a spot on the All-Freshman team alongside Escudero, having started all 18 matches for the Purple Aces in his first collegiate season. Shepherd finished the regular season second on the team in goals (4) and points (10) and notched a brace against Xaiver for the first brace by a UE freshman in three years.

The top-seeded Aces open MVC Tournament play on Wednesday, hosting the winner of Belmont and UIC at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kick-off is set for 6 PM.