FULL ALL-AMERICA TEAM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Otterbein University junior forward
Will Isaac (Grove City/Grove City) earned the first national award of his career Thursday afternoon, landing second team All-American honors from the United Soccer Coaches organization.
A total of 50 players across NCAA Division III made the list, with Isaac taking one of 17 spots on the second team. He becomes just the second All-American for the men's program since 2003, joining defender Jaden Lunger (2017) as recent selections.
Furthermore, Isaac is one of five standouts from Ohio to warrant the prestigious nod; Hector Gomez (Ohio Wesleyan), Luke Muther (Kenyon), Will Turritin (John Carroll) and Jaggar Brooker (Ohio Wesleyan).
"This is amazing," Isaac said emphatically. "I feel grateful to receive this and honored to represent my coaches and teammates. We did it together. I thought we played very direct and with a purpose all season. Everyone just kept moving forward each time out…"
Isaac led the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) in scoring this fall, racking up 33 points through an even 11 goals and 11 assists. A first team All-OAC performer, he finished nine points higher than the next closest player in the league.
His efforts spearheaded Otterbein to a 15-2-4 overall record, soaring as high as No. 6 in the national poll at one point and sharing the OAC regular-season crown with John Carroll. The Cardinals then finished runner-up (overtime) in the championship match at JCU.
"Will is very deserving of this," head coach
Jason Griffiths began. "He obviously had great/balanced stats but does a lot more than that… especially defensively, which you don't see in the box score. We ask our wingers to do a lot of dirty work. He's an all-around team player and also became a good leader this season."
Isaac, who had three game-winners, scored twice against nationally-ranked Ohio Wesleyan and was also part of all four goals in a come-from-behind victory at Mount Union to begin league play. Otterbein ended up receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships, hosting a four-team regional at Memorial Stadium and making the Round of 32.
"The CoVID year was tough for everyone," Isaac mentioned. "I'm proud of the guys for showing fight and grit coming back this fall. It was a great turnaround, but we just have to keep working ahead. This is a pretty young team with good players. I want to help keep setting standards and go further in the postseason."
"It's a team game, and Will doesn't get this without the other guys," Griffiths added in conclusion. "Teammates set him up for those 11 goals, and others had to finish his 11 assists. I think all of our guys understand that. This is really good for our program as a whole, and will hopefully inspire others to keep pushing forward."
Isaac, holding near a 3.5 GPA majoring in allied health, also garnered CoSIDA Academic All-District honors last month and is now on the national ballot. Those honorees are currently being voted on and are expected to be released next week.
This year's All-Americans will be recognized for their accomplishments at the United Soccer Coaches All-America Ceremony & Reception on Saturday, Jan. 22 at the Kansas City Convention Center in conjunction with the convention.
