INDIANAPOLIS – Nebojsa Popovic and Nyal Higgins earned All-Horizon League second team honors while Luke Morrell and Napoleon Outlaw III were Horizon League All-Freshman Team selections, as voted on the by league's nine head coaches and announced by the league office on Monday.
 
Popovic, a redshirt junior from Rochester Hills, Mich., appeared in 18 games with 15 starts while leading the team in goals (6), assists (7) and points (19) which are tied for sixth, fifth and ninth overall in the conference respectively. He was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (10/8) after posting six points off three goals to lead the Golden Grizzlies to a 1-1 record for the week scoring two goals helping Oakland to a pivotal 3-1 league win over Northern Kentucky (10/6) and Oakland's only goal in a 2-1 setback against No. 14 Michigan (10/3). Popovic also scored the game-winning goal with 19 seconds left in regulation at Milwaukee giving Oakland a crucial 1-0 win and was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (10/22) for the second time this season for his late game heroics.


 
For the second consecutive season, Higgins, an Ajax Ontario, Canada native, has garnered second team honors starting in 16 games while anchoring the defensive back line to four shutouts against arch-rival Detroit Mercy (9/15), Duquesne (9/22), Milwaukee (10/20) and Green Bay (11/2).


 
Morrell, a Plainwell, Mich. native, ranks second on the team in goals (4) and points (8) from his defensive position and also has helped anchor the back line to four shutouts on the season. He was named Nike® Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week (10/29) after notching two goals (including the game-winner) totaling four points lifting Oakland to a pivotal 4-2 win at Cleveland State (10/27). He also scored the game-winning goal against Northern Kentucky (10/6) and notched his first career goal at No. 3 Michigan State (9/10).


 
Outlaw III, an Okemos, Mich. native, is third on the team in goals (3) and second in points (8). In the season opening 1-1 draw against Western Illinois (8/24), he scored his first career goal in dramatic fashion with just 29 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and scored his third goal of the season connecting on a second half equalizer helping Oakland to a 1-1 double overtime draw against Dayton (9/18). Outlaw III also scored in Oakland's win at Marshall (8/27) with assists against Duquesne (9/22) and No. 14 Michigan (10/3).

2018 Horizon League Men's Soccer Award Winners
Player of the Year: Jesus Perez, Jr., MF, UIC
Offensive Player of the Year: Max Todd, Sr., F, UIC
Defensive Player of the Year: Dan Bent, Sr., D, Wright State
Goalkeeper of the Year: Joel Sundell, Jr., GK, Wright State
Freshman of the Year: Alex Willis, F, Northern Kentucky
Coach of the Year: Jake Slemker, Wright State
 
All-Horizon League First Team (alphabetical by school)
Alex Willis, Northern Kentucky, F, Fr.
Max Todd, UIC, F, Sr.
Alec Phillipe, Wright State, F, Jr.
Tomer Zloczower, Green Bay, MF, Jr.
Jesus Perez, UIC, MF, Jr.
Jackson Dietrich, Wright State, MF, Jr.
Andre Baires , Green Bay, D, Jr.
Buran Huseini, Green Bay, D, Sr.
Sean Reynolds, Milwaukee, D, Sr.
Dan Bent, Wright State, D, Sr.
Joel Sundell, Wright State, GK, Jr.
 
All-Horizon League Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Evan Conway, Milwaukee, F, Jr.
Nebojsa Popovic, Oakland, F, Jr.
Stefan Rokvic, Wright State, F, Jr.
Vlad Jandric, Cleveland State, MF, Jr.
Alex Greive, Northern Kentucky, MF, So.
Oscar Gonzalez, UIC, MF, Sr.
Deri Corfe, Wright State, MF, Jr.
Thomas M'Barek, Cleveland State, D, So.
Nyal Higgins, Oakland, D, Jr.
Jacob Graiber, UIC, D, So.
Sawyer Jackman, UIC, GK, Sr.
 
Horizon League All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Joey Bourgeois, Green Bay
Quinn McCallion, IUPUI
Shawn Azcueta, Milwaukee
Andreas Soerensen, Milwaukee
Stian Jørgensen, Northern Kentucky
Alex Willis, Northern Kentucky
Luke Morrell, Oakland
Napoleon Outlaw III, Oakland
Josiah Ash, UIC
Pau Mateo, UIC
Simar Perez, Wright State

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