Big Ten Announces 2025 Men’s Soccer Postseason Awards
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2025 Men’s Soccer All-Big Ten teams and individual honors on Thursday, following a vote of the league’s 11 head coaches.
Four schools were represented among the individual six awards. Maryland claimed a trio of awards, as senior Lasse Kelp, sophomore Laurin Mack, and head coach Sasho Cirovski were named Defensive Player, Goalkeeper, and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Indiana senior Palmer Ault was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Washington senior Richie Aman claimed Midfielder of the Year honors. Michigan State’s Peter Soudan was tabbed as Freshman of the Year.
Ault was named the league’s top offensive player after leading the country with 42 points and 16 goals, while his 10 assists are good for fourth. Ault‘s 42 points are the most in the conference since Penn State’s Corey Hertzog posted 46 in 2010. The Noblesville, Ind. native becomes the second consecutive Hoosier named Offensive Player of the Year and fourth since 2009.
Aman becomes the first Husky to win a Big Ten award. The midfielder from Hanover, N.H. leads the Big Ten and ranks third in Division I with 11 assists and 0.65 helpers per game. Aman has recorded five multi-assists games, including against both Rutgers and Indiana, and moves into a tie for fourth in the Washington record book for assists in a single campaign.
Kelp becomes he second consecutive Terrapin named Defensive Player of the Year and the third all-time. The Bonn, Germany native anchored a defense that surrendered just 12 goals on the season, a feat accomplished by just 18 teams. Kelp has remained on the pitch for every one of Maryland’s 1,350 minutes this season and added a goal and two assists to the offensive attack.
Similarly, Mack, a fellow German from Emmendingen, has also played every minute of the season between the Terrapins’ pipes. Mack posted eight shutouts on the season, tied for the Big Ten lead, including five in conference play. The sophomore posted a .793 save percentage, best in the Big Ten, to become Maryland’s first Goalkeeper of the Year since Cody Niedemeier in 2016.
Soudan becomes the fifth Spartan named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and first since Jonathan Stout in 2022. The midfielder from Western Springs, Ill., appeared in all 16 matches, recording 15 starts, for Michigan State and tied for the team’s lead with 10 points. Soudan also led the team with four assists, while his three goals ranked second.
Cirovski earns his third Big Ten Coach of the Year accolade after leading the Terrapins to a 12-0-3 record and the program’s fourth Big Ten championship. After being unranked on Sept. 16, the Terrapins have risen to the top of the latest United Soccer Coaches poll on the strength of an offensive attack that posts a nation’s best 8.87 points per contest.
The Big Ten also recognized 11 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
The 2025 Big Ten Tournament will return to action on Sunday, as Michigan and UCLA meet in the Big Ten Tournament championship match, with the winner earning the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Kickoff is slated for 3 p.m. at Maryland’s Ludwig Field in College Park, Md. The match will air live on Big Ten Network and the Fox Sports App.
2025 Big Ten Men’s Soccer Postseason Honors
Offensive Player of the Year: Palmer Ault, Indiana
Midfielder of the Year: Richie Aman, Washington
Defensive Player of the Year: Lasse Kelp, Maryland
Goalkeeper of the Year: Laurin Mack, Maryland
Freshman of the Year: Peter Soudan, Michigan State
Coach of the Year: Sasho Cirovski, Maryland
All-Big Ten First Team*
PALMER AULT, F, Indiana
Luca Costabile, D, Maryland
Lasse Kelp, D, Maryland
Leon Koehl, M, Maryland
Laurin Mack, GK, Maryland
Sadam Masereka, F, Maryland
Stephane Njike, F, Maryland
SERGI SOLANS ORMO, F, UCLA
Richie Aman, M, Washington
Harrison Bertos, D, Washington
Alex Hall, M, Washington
Zach Ramsey, M, Washington
All-Big Ten Second Team
Collins Oduro, M, Indiana
Albi Ndrenika, F, Maryland
William Baker, D, Michigan
Matthew Fisher, D, Michigan
Nolan Miller, D, Michigan
Shuma Sasaki, F, Michigan
Zac Kelly, GK, Michigan State
Joe Suchecki, M, Northwestern
Joschi Schleb, M, Rutgers
Jadon Bowton, GK, Washington
Charlie Kosakoff, F, Washington
All-Freshman Team
Colton Swan, F, Indiana
Rocket Ritarita, F, Maryland
Farouk Cisse, D, Maryland
Peter Soudan, M, Michigan State
Luke Spadafora, M, Michigan State
Aaron O’Reilly, F, Northwestern
Aaron Hurge, M, Ohio State
Jonathan Evans, GK, Penn State
Braxton Montgomery, D, Rutgers
Ander Marticorena, M, UCLA
Asher Hestad, D, Washington
Isaac Brown-Samper, D, Wisconsin
Sportsmanship Honorees
Alex Barger, Jr., Indiana
Luca Costabile, Sr., Maryland
Nicholas Cassiday, Sr., Michigan
Zac Kelly, Sr., Michigan State
Jayvin Van Deventer, Sr., Northwestern
Luciano Pechota, Sr., Ohio State
Van Danielson, Sr., Penn State
Nestor Cabrera, Sr., Rutgers
Tre Wright, Jr., UCLA
Conner Leber, Sr., Washington
Thomas Raimbault, Sr., Wisconsin
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
* – additional players added due to ties in voting