Levi King named OAC Midfielder of the Year to lead list of 5 All-Conference Polar Bears in Men’s Soccer

November 9, 2022

By Wes Mayberry

ADA — Ohio Northern fifth-year senior Levi King (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central) was named the Ohio Athletic Conference Midfielder of the Year, leading a list of five Polar Bears earning All-Conference honors in men's soccer for the 2022 season in voting conducted by the league's 10 head coaches.

King and fifth-year senior forward Bryan Kern (Rocky River) were selected to the All-OAC First Team.

Sophomore defender Noah Zebrak (Cleveland/St. Ignatius) and sophomore goalkeeper Lucas Hickey (Conroe, Texas/Oak Ridge) were All-Conference Second Team selections, and sophomore midfielder William Shaffer (Galena/St. Francis DeSales) was a Third Team honoree.

Additionally, fourth-year head coach Chris Matejka was selected as the conference's Coach of the Year.

This marks the second straight season that King has been selected as the OAC's Midfielder of the Year and his fifth All-OAC honor. Now a four-time First Team All-OAC pick, King has a team-best 22 points and eight assists this season and is tied for the team lead in goals with seven. He was named OAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17 and was selected to the OAC All-Tournament Team.

King scored six of his seven goals during conference play and recorded at least one point in all nine of those games. He started all 19 games this season and is currently tied for second in the conference in assists, tied for fourth in points and tied for sixth in goals.

Kern earns the second All-OAC honor of his career after being named to the Second Team last season. He joined King on the OAC All-Tournament Team this season and is tied with him for the team lead in goals with seven. He started all 19 games and ranks second on the team with 20 points and third on the team with six assists. Those totals both rank sixth in the conference.

Zebrak, Hickey and Shaffer each earned All-Conference recognition for the first time in their careers.

Zebrak started all 19 games and was part of an ONU defense that posted six shutouts and limited opponents to just 4.6 shots on goal per game on the season. He also contributed offensively, recording five points on two goals and one assist.

Hickey played in 11 games, starting eight of them, this season, compiling a record of 6-1-1 with one shutout. He tallied 28 saves, a 1.27 GAA and .718 save percentage in 779 minutes in goal.

Shaffer started all 19 games this season and recorded 11 points on three goals and five assists. He ranks fourth on the team in both points and assists.

Matejka earns the first OAC Coach of the Year accolade of his ONU tenure in leading the Polar Bears to an 8-0-1 conference record and OAC Regular Season championship.

Ranked No. 11 nationally, the Polar Bears (13-3-3) earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament and will host Mt. Aloysius (Pa.) in the first round on Saturday at 1 p.m.