PEORIA, ILL. - Led by senior Nick Foster (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley), who was selected as a first team All-Missouri Valley Conference men's soccer selection, eight Drake student-athletes garnered All-MVC accolades as announced by the league on Thursday (Nov. 11).

Juniors Thomas Ostrander (Fort Dodge, Iowa/St. Edmond Catholic) and Michael Thaden (West Des Moines, Iowa/Valley) were tabbed a second-team selections, while redshirt juniors Jordan Kadlec (Hiawatha, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Kennedy) and Charles Schwartz (Bettendorf, Iowa/Bettendorf) were recognized as honorable mention recipients.

Capping stellar freshman campaigns with All-Freshman team accolades were Garrett Crall (Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk), Max Duncan (Joplin, Mo./Joplin) and Nick Marshall (Glen Carbon, Ill./Edwardsville).

"Postseason accolades are always a great honor for our guys," Drake head coach Sean Holmes commented.  "They serve as either just rewards for hard work or further incentive to achieve more.  It is good to know their efforts are appreciated by other schools in the conference."

An honorable mention honoree as a sophomore in 2008, Foster started all 18 games this season registering a goal and an assist from his defender's position.  He ranked fifth in the MVC in game-winning goals (0.14) in league-only affairs.

"I'm particularly excited for Nick (Foster), who's had a tremendous career and has served as a cornerstone of our program over the last four years," said Holmes.  "To have started all 80 games of his career, a number which ranks third all-time in games played at Drake, is quite an accomplishment." 

Having appeared in all 18 games as a junior, including 17 starts, Ostrander garnered second-team honors having paced the squad in goals (5), points (11) and game winners (2), while ranking second in shots (33) and shots on goal (13).  He ranks fifth and eighth, respectively, in the MVC in game-winning goals (0.11) and goals per contest (0.28). 

Thaden capped a breakout campaign by leading the team in assists (3), points (11), shots (38) and shots on goal (18), while ranking second in goals (4) and game winners (1). He ranks seventh in the MVC in shots per contest (2.11), while in conference-only games, he rated third, fourth and fifth, respectively, in goals (0.57), points (1.29) and game-winning goals (0.14) per game.

Turning in a stellar season in his first full campaign as a starter, was Kadlec, who pulled in 98 saves, the second-best single-season mark in school history, while owning a .803 save percentage and a 1.32 goals against average.  He is ranked ninth in the NCAA in saves per game (5.44) and 56th in save percentage. In the MVC, he is rated first in saves per game (5.44) and sixth in save percentage (.803).  In conference-only games, he ranked fourth, fourth and seventh, respectively, in saves per game (4.57), save percentage (.800) and goals against average (1.17).

Schwartz pulled in honorable mention laurels after recording a team-high three assists, while ranking third in goals (3), points (9), shots (28) and shots on goal (12).

Crall stepped into the starting line-up for Drake immediately in the defensive backline and started all 18 contests for the Bulldogs, registering a goal off eight shots.

Duncan appeared in 16 tilts for Drake, including nine starts, while Marshall garnered the starting assignment in 14 of the 15 games he played.  Both players posted six shots.

"I'm excited for our three newcomers gaining recognition for their efforts on the field," Holmes explained.  "I'm hopeful this is a harbinger for the bright future of Drake Soccer throughout their careers as Bulldogs."

The Bulldogs shared the MVC's Fair Play award with Creighton, which is given to the team with the fewest yellow cards during conference play.