2014 Heartland Conference Men's Soccer All-Tournament Team

2014 NCAA DII Men's Soccer Selection Show (Monday, 6:30 p.m. CST)

AUSTIN, Texas - All season long the St. Edward's Men's Soccer team held the ambition to win the Heartland Conference Tournament. Sunday afternoon, the Hilltoppers did just that, defeating Newman in the Heartland Conference Tournament Championship, 3-1, at Lewis-Chen Family Field.
 
St. Edward's (16-2-1) has been excellent all season in scoring the first goal of the match. Sunday afternoon, they stuck to that trend and would never look back.
 
In the 13^th minute of play, NATE COONS would find teammate PABLO COVARRUBIAS down the left side of the box who would connect with the back of the net, far post for his fifth goal of the year, giving the Hilltoppers an early 1-0 lead.
 
Over the next 15 minutes, St. Edward's would dominate play. Newman (13-5-1) would not record a shot in the time span. On the other hand, St. Edward's' STEVE AOUDOU, would find fellow Hilltopper DANIEL RILEY, who also shot far post to give St. Edward's a commanding 2-0 first half lead.
 
The Hilltoppers defense, which has been dominant all season long, would hold the Jets to zero shots on goal in the first half, and the score would remain, 2-0 going into the break.
 
Three minutes into the second half the Hilltoppers would put distance between themselves and the Jets. TY MOBLEY, who has been held scoreless this season, chose a perfect time for his first goal, connecting on a loose ball off of a cornerkick to give the Hilltoppers a 3-0 lead.
 
For the remainder of the half, the Hilltoppers would continue to dominate play. However, in the 83^rd minute, the Hilltopper defense would give the ball away, and the Jets would capitalize, making the score 3-1.
 
Seven minutes later, the final whistle would blow, and the Hilltoppers would hold on for its first Heartland Conference Tournament Championship in school history.
 
"Winning the Heartland Conference seemed to be a tough road after starting 1-2 this season. However, the players worked really hard and stayed extremely focused while going 15-0-1 to close out the year," head coach Brian Young said.
 
After the match, four Hilltoppers would be named to the 2014 Heartland Conference Men's Soccer All Tournament Team. Those selected to the roster included: defender Mobley, forward Riley, and midfielders ANDREW FOX and JACK BLANTON. Blanton was also named the tournament's most valuable player.
 
St. Edward's who recorded its 11^th straight win, will wait to hear if it garnered its first post-season berth since 1999; although, all indicators point in the right direction.
 
"Hopefully the NCAA will recognize the total body of work the players have put together this season and reward them with a bid to the tournament," Young remarked.
 
The Hilltoppes will anxiously wait to hear its postseason fate on Monday evening. The NCAA DII Men's Soccer Selection Show will take start at 6:30 p.m. CST on the NCAA Website. Check back on www.GoHilltoppers.com for all your men's soccer NCAA Tournament information.