HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Centennial Conference champion Haverford College men's soccer team was well-represented as the all-conference team was announced by conference officials. Seven different players earned All-Centennial Conference recognition, while Nick Jannelli and head coach Zach Ward took home the Centennial Conference Player and Coach of the Year awards.
The seven All-Centennial Conference selections tie the 2015 team for the second most honorees in school history and is just one shy of the record set by the 2016 team who had eight All-CC performers. With four players recognized as first-team selections, that total matches the school record set in 2015 during the Centennial Conference era. The only other time in the storied history of the program that the Fords also had four first-team all-conference performers was during the 1976 and 1981 seasons when Haverford competed in the Middle Atlantic Conference.
Nick Jannelli was one of four Fords who earned first-team All-CC recognition. Jannelli was a force all season for the Fords as he is leading the Centennial Conference in goals (13), assists (9), points (35), shots (65), and game-winning goals (7). Jannelli, who is the second Haverford player to win this award (Sam Yarosh '16 during 2015 season), scored eight of his goals and added four more assists during the Centennial Conference schedule. Those marks were also tops in the conference as he scored a conference-leading four game-winning goals during Haverford's 8-1 conference record.
Jannelli was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Week twice this fall and has earned that award five times over his first three seasons. The first-team all-conference nod is the third straight for Jannelli. He repeats his first-team performance from 2017 to go along with his second-team and CC Rookie of the Year honors in 2016.
Senior co-captain Ben Clark was named first-team All-Centennial Conference for the first time in his career after earning second-team honors last fall. Named the Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Fords hold Gettysburg scoreless during the regular season, Clark was vital in Haverford's efforts to limit opponents just 0.54 goals per game in conference matchups. That included five shutouts during Haverford's nine regular season Centennial clashes. For good measure, Clark also assisted on Haverford's game-winning goal during the Fords' 3-0 win at Ursinus.
Fellow co-captain Michael Carr earned the first All-Centennial Conference recognition of his career as he was named a first-team selection out of the midfield. A four-year starter for the Fords, Carr was key to all aspects of Haverford's victories. He scored four goals (three game-winners) and added three assists during the regular season, but was at his best during the Centennial Conference showdowns as he scored two game-winning goals and assisted on two others in that stretch. He scored his game-winning goals against Gettysburg and Swarthmore, while setting up the eventual game-winners against Johns Hopkins and Washington College.
Michael Iacono stood out among the conference's best as he too earned first-team All-Centennial Conference honors. The junior's 0.53 GAA during the Centennial Conference schedule was the best among his peers, while his six wins ranked second despite not playing the full time in two of Haverford's victories with other goalies looking to stay sharp. With a strong back line playing in front of him, even when a shot did come his way Iacono stopped over 87 percent of those attempts in conference play. He secured five shutouts during the regular season, with four of those efforts coming against his Centennial peers.
Peter Baroff earned second-team All-Centennial Conference honors and is seemingly only getting stronger as the year wears on as he was named the Centennial Conference Tournament MVP this past weekend. He has seven goals and five assists so far this year. Baroff scored three times and assisted on two more goals during the Centennial Conference regular season schedule before adding two more goals and two more assists during the conference tournament. He tallied the game-winning goal as part of a two-goal performance at Ursinus, while also registering the game-winner against Drew and Dickinson during the Centennial Conference Tournament.
From his spot in the midfield, Max Krieg was a force as two way player for the Fords as he stopped several attacks from reaching the defense while setting up the counter attack on numerous occasions. For that role, Krieg earned second-team All-Centennial Conference recognition for the first time in his career. With a knack for the big goal, Krieg scored his third career goal in game-winning fashion against Dickinson during the regular season. His other two career goals won the NCAA Tournament game in 2015 against Washington & Lee and helped Haverford hoist the 2016 Centennial Conference Trophy on Walton Field against Franklin & Marshall. Krieg also assisted on the overtime goal during the Fords' win against Wesleyan in non-conference action.
Nick John was the final member of Haverford's stout defense to earn All-Centennial Conference recognition. He earned honorable mention All-CC status for the first time in his career. John has also been a four-year starter for Haverford's defense, starting 70 of his 74 career appearances to date. John also aided the offense with a goal against McDaniel and assists during the victories versus Cabrini and Gettysburg this fall.
Zach Ward was named the Centennial Conference's Coach of the Year after guiding Haverford to the conference championship in his first season. Ward took a team which finished fourth in the regular season standings a year ago and led them back to the top of the Centennial Conference for the third time in four seasons. The championship was the program's fourth as a member of the Centennial Conference.
Alex Clark was additionally named to the Centennial Conference's All-Sportsmanship Team. A starter during Haverford's previous Centennial Conference Championship winning seasons, Clark appeared in six matches this fall and scored his first career goal during Haverford's match at Stevens. Clark has appeared in 49 matches to date during his college career, making 11 starts over his career.
Men's soccer is currently in the midst of training for this weekend's opening rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Haverford will begin its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament this Saturday against New York University. That match, which will be hosted at Montclair State, is slated to get underway at 7:30 p.m.