Bell, Kessler Garner All-Region Honors

2018 NCAA DI Men South Region Team

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia men’s soccer sophomores Joe Bell (Wanaka, New Zealand) and Henry Kessler (New York, N.Y.) were each named to the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team for the first time in their careers.
 
Both were Third-Team All-ACC selections back on Nov. 7 and it marks the third-straight year Virginia has placed multiple student-athletes on the United Soccer Coaches All-South Region teams.
 
Bell played every minute for the Cavaliers during the 2018 season and has started the first 38 games of his UVA career. He finished the year with second on the team lead with five assists and added a goal, a game-winner in the 90th minute of the season opener against No. 19 New Hampshire on Aug. 24. He was an honorable mention on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s National Team of the Week on Aug. 28 and ranked No. 25 on the TDS Midseason Top 100 list. Bell assisted on a goal in four-straight games from Sept. 18 to Oct. 29.
 
Kessler was thrust into the Cavaliers starting center back role at the beginning of the season and helped solidify one of the most formidable back lines in the country. He started all 16 games in which he appeared playing full time in all but three of those matches. Over the first seven games, the Virginia defense conceded only one goal for only the second time in school history and posted the country’s 12th lowest goals against average (0.68) through Dec. 1.
 
The Cavaliers qualified for their 38th-straight NCAA Tournament in 2018, the longest streak in collegiate soccer. UVA advanced to the round of 16 for the 27th time in program history and eventually fell to 7th-seeded Notre Dame in overtime on Nov. 25.