Six Cavaliers Recognized on All-ACC Teams
Nov. 7, 2017
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s soccer program placed six players on the 2017 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team, as voted by the league’s head coaches. Junior Jean-Christophe Koffi (Potomac, Md.) became the first Cavalier since 2014 to earn First Team All-ACC honors.
Koffi, a Second Team All-ACC selection in 2016, was the lone Virginia representative on the 11-player first team. The veteran midfielder has a career-high, 10 points (3g, 4a) in 18 games played this season. He has scored two game-winning goals this year including an overtime strike against Pittsburgh on Oct. 20.
The trio of Pablo Aguilar (Guatemala City, Guatemala), Jeff Caldwell (Todd, N.C.) and Edward Opoku (Millbrook, N.Y.) each were listed on the second team while junior Sergi Nus (Barcelona, Spain) was recognized on the third team for the second-straight year. First year midfielder Joe Bell (Wanaka, New Zealand) earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team.
North Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest each had five representatives between the first, second and third teams, tied for the most among the 12 ACC schools. Caldwell and Opoku were two of five players to earn All-ACC honors for a third time.
Opoku leads the Cavaliers with eight goals, including three game-winners. An All-American last season and listed on the preseason MAC Hermann Award watch list, Opoku earned second team All-ACC honors in 2016 and was on the Third Team in 2015 as a freshman. The forward’s 16 career goals are tied with Aguilar for the most among active Cavaliers.
Caldwell, Sunday afternoon’s shootout hero, was listed on the Second Team for the second-straight year. He has started each of the team’s 18 games this season and boasts a goals against average of 0.83, the fourth lowest in the league. He has recorded five shutouts in 2017 and his 22 career shutouts are the fourth most in program history.
Aguilar, the team’s second leading scorer with seven, has started every match for the Cavaliers this season. His 1,705 minutes played are the second most on the team. In Virginia’s first round matchup against Boston College on Nov. 1, Aguilar registered his first career multi-goal game with two first-half scores. In a stretch from Sept. 22-29, Aguilar either scored or recorded an assist in four-straight games.
From his center back position, Nus has produced six goals and an assist, both career bests. He has been the team’s go to on penalty kicks, converting all four of his attempts. The junior has started in all 18 games and leads the team in minutes with 1,717. He played every minute of 14-consecutive games beginning with UNCW on Sept. 4, a stretch that included seven overtime contests.
In his first season on grounds, Bell has been a consistent presence in the Cavalier midfield, starting all 18 games. He scored his first collegiate goal against No. 7 North Carolina on Sept. 22. and recorded an assist in a 2-1 win over UNCW on Sept. 4. In the ACC quarterfinal at No. 6 Louisville, Bell converted his PK attempt in the 4-3 shootout win.
The Cavaliers will be home on Wednesday night (Nov. 8) to host No. 13 Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament semifinals.