Full OAC ReleaseAUSTINTOWN, Ohio – Four Otterbein University men's soccer players landed on the 2014 All-Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) team Thursday morning, led by a first-team selection in senior Jared Pulliam.
A 6'0" forward, Pulliam earns his second-straight all-conference award after being voted to the second team one year ago as a junior. He was joined by a trio of teammates as freshman defender Jaden Lunger landed on the second team while junior forward Luis Rivas and freshman goalkeeper Mack Stamper received honorable mention honors.
Pulliam (Westerville/North) turned in another stellar season for the Cardinals, leading the team and ranking fourth in the OAC with 10 goals and 23 total points. Included in the scoring was a late game-winning goal to upset defending OAC champion Ohio Northern University. He finished his career with 25 goals over the final two seasons.
Lunger (Gahanna/Lincoln) turned heads in his inaugural season wearing a Cardinal uniform, starting every single match in which he dressed as a central defender. He contributed to four shutouts on the back line and also scored a pair of goals, one of which being the game-winner in perhaps the biggest victory of the season, a 4-1 triumph at nationally-ranked Ohio Wesleyan University.
Rivas (Greenfield/Edward Lee McClain) caught fire once the conference schedule began, scoring five times in a four-game stretch to quickly become one of the more dangerous players up top. He tallied two goals to ignite the team's furious comeback against nationally-ranked John Carroll University, and ultimately finished seventh in the league for most goals recorded (7), and third when only counting goals netted within league play.
Stamper (Beavercreek/Beavercreek) also enjoyed a solid freshman campaign, starting all 19 matches between the pipes and finishing fourth in the conference with 75 saves. He posted three individual shutouts, contributed to a fourth and had a season-high seven saves on four separate occasions.
Otterbein finished the season at 10-9 overall as a team this past fall, which included an impressive six-match road winning streak spanning late September to early October.
Special award winners this year within the conference were:
Coach of the Year: Brian Haley (Heidelberg)
Forward of the Year: Alexis Mendoza (Heidelberg)
Midfielder of the Year: Brian Potocnik (John Carroll)
Defender of the Year: Jimmy Mattina (John Carroll)
Goalkeeper of the Year: Matthew Stevens (Heidelberg)
