Conway, Ark. -

The Central Arkansas men’s soccer team has had a successful year by any standard. Not only did the Bears pick up their first Missouri Valley Conference Tournament win earlier this week, but five members of the team have been named to All-MVC teams this season. “Obviously soccer is a team game, and I don’t think these guys get their awards without a lot of hard work from their teammates that don’t get recognized,” said Central Arkansas coach Ross Duncan after the announcement. “But I think that getting five awards is definitely a nice boost for our guys.”

The year is definitely the most successful in school history as far as awards go. Prior to receiving five awards this season, the Bears had previously earned two honorable mentions and an All-Freshman Team award. The Bears’ back line, which was a strength all season long, received a great deal of attention from the awards, seeing three Central Arkansas defenders nominated, prompting Duncan to state, “I think to recognize three of our starting four defenders says a lot about who we are as a team, and is a huge honor for the group.”

Senior defender Zac Burns, who earned an honorable mention nod in 2010, was named to the All-MVC second team yesterday, marking the first time that a Central Arkansas player has been placed higher than honorable mention. Burns has been the backbone of a very strong Central Arkansas defense that has held opponents to just 80 shots on goal in 216 attempts this season, a percentage of .370. The Tomball, Texas native has started all 17 of the Bears’ games this season, playing a total of 1,531 minutes. He has recorded one assist while taking three shots. “Zac is a guy that some of the coaches in the league think might have a shot at playing somewhere in the future,” praised Duncan. “He’s going to be very hard for us to replace next season, and for him to be placed on that team,  with so many good players, is a real honor.”

Juniors Manuel Montal, Matt Taphorn, and Taylor Hart were named All-MVC Honorable Mention. Prior to this season, only two Central Arkansas players had earned the honor: Burns and teammate Joseph Cervantes in 2010. Montal, who started every game for the Bears, led the team with four goals, including game-winners against Missouri State and Loyola-Chicago. Duncan commented on Montal’s on-field presence, saying, “Manu has kind of pulled the string in the midfield for us, which caught the eye of a lot of the conference coaches. Bradley double-teamed him, and a lot of coaches asked about him after games, so I wasn’t that surprised to see his name.” Taphorn was another fixture on the Bears’ back line, playing a team-high 1,546 minutes. The award is Taphorn’s second MVC award, as he earned All-Freshman Team recognition last season. “Tap was honored as a freshman last year, and he really stepped up this season. He’s a big presence in the back and is really hard to miss, which I think bodes well for him in the future,” said Duncan. Hart was used in a variety of roles this season, appearing in 15 games for the Bears and making nine starts. He ranked second on the team with 32 shots, and even though he recorded no goals, the Central Arkansas attack was much more dangerous when he was on the field, something that Duncan emphasized when speaking of him: “Taylor is someone that every team we played against had to a have a plan for. He allowed us to stretch the field and increase our pace. While he didn’t score, he was a guy that everybody we played knew about and had to be ready for.”

The final Central Arkansas player honored on Thursday is redshirt-freshman Jacob Campbell. Yet another member of the Central Arkansas back line, Campbell appeared in 15 games for the Bears, garnering 11 starts and 1,193 minutes played. Duncan spoke of Campbell’s toughness, saying, “Jacob stepped up big time this year. For him to play through injury and being a freshman playing center back for us is a tough position to be in, but if anyone in our group can do it, Jacob would be the guy.”

The Bears look to build on the momentum gained with Wednesday’s victory over Bradley in the Missouri Valley Tournament’s first round, coupled with the excitement of All-MVC announcements to score their second upset of the tournament tonight at 6:00 tonight, facing off against SIUE. Live stats and video are available at http://ucagameday.com/.