TicketsApril 17, 2007
CINCINNATI, Ohio--The postseason honors continue to roll in for the 2006 University of Cincinnati men's soccer team. Four Bearcats - seniors Omar Cummings and Mike Vessells and juniors Kenny Anaba and Amir Ikner - were named to the All-Ohio First Team after UC posted an 11-6-2 overall record, winning the BIG EAST's Red DIvision and earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.
"We'd like to congratulate all four guys as being recognized as among the best in the state of Ohio," head coach Hylton Dayes said. "The fact that we had four players on the first team speaks volumes of the successful season we had. Each of these guys were integral parts in our championship year."
Cummings earned NSCAA/adidas fist team All-American honors after leading the Bearcats with 21 points. He was a unanimous first team All-BIG EAST selection for the second straight season and led the league with nine assists. In January, Cummings was drafted by the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.
Vessells was a three-year starter and captain for the Bearcats and finished his career with 15 shutouts, which ranks second in school history, and a 1.15 GAA. His 2006 season was superb, as he ranked fifth in the BIG EAST with a 0.89 goals against average during the regular season and finished fourth in the league with seven shutouts.
Anaba, a 2006 All-BIG EAST second team selection, was named to the All-Great Lakes third team after leading UC with seven goals and adding five assists for 19 points. The junior forward scored five game-winners, including the BIG EAST Championship-clinching goal in overtime against Villanova on Oct. 21. He was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on Sept. 18 after scoring the game-tying goal and assisting on the game-winner against No. 12 Notre Dame. Anaba scored in six of the last 12 matches of the season, posting six goals and five assists.
Ikner, the Bearcats' junior central defender, also received third-team All-Great Lakes honors. A 2006 second team All-BIG EAST selection, Ikner secured a UC backline that allowed nine goals in 11 conference matches and posted four shutouts in league play.