Senior midfielder Ian McGrath and sophomore defender Simon Waever have both been named United Soccer Coaches All-West Region, it was announced in a release Monday. McGrath earned first-team all-region honors, while Waever was selected to the all-region second team.
A native of New Lenox, Illinois, McGrath earns his second all-region honor of his career after a stellar senior campaign for the Purple Aces. McGrath becomes the 15th Evansville men’s soccer student-athlete to earn multiple first-team all-region honors and the first since Cory Elenio completed the feat in 2006 and 2007. Â This season, the senior led the way for the Aces with 12 goals and six assists on the season, while capturing first-team all-MVCÂ honors. In his career, McGrath scored 26 goals, putting him in a tie for ninth all-time at Evansville.
“Ian has had a fantastic career as a Purple Ace. He has gotten better each year and improved his game during his time in our program,” said Aces head coach Marshall Ray.  “His numbers reflect how important of a player he was for us. He is one of the elite college soccer players competing at the Division I level. I am excited for Ian and know that he will represent our program well as he continues his soccer career.”
Waever receives his first all-region honor after continuing to impress in his sophomore season. In just his second year with the Aces, Waever continues to compile accolades as he earned first-team all-MVC recognition in November. The Holte, Denmark native scored a goal and record an assist in 2017, while anchoring an Aces backline that has amassed a 1.70 goals-against average.
“Simon grew in confidence this season and was a very important attacking option for us in wide areas,” said Ray. “He was outstanding in the latter portions of the season on both sides of the ball and was a big part of our success as we moved into postseason play. With Simon on the field, we always had a chance to create scoring opportunities as well as lock down the other team’s attack. Simon and his class are the foundation for this team and will grow into leaders on and off the field for us this spring.”
For the second-straight season, the Aces finished with 10 or more wins as Evansville amassed an 11-8-2 overall record and advanced to the semifinals of the MVC Tournament.
