Pioneers Earn Several Coast-to-Coast Postseason Awards

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville men's soccer team was well represented in the 2023 Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Men's Soccer Awards that were released on Wednesday, highlighted by junior Konrad Ziaja earning Defensive Player of the Year and freshman Justin Williams collecting Rookie of the Year. Senior Jacob Keller was tabbed Scholar-Athlete of the Year, while sophomore Sebastian Carranza joined Ziaja on the C2C First Team. Sophomore Danny Gutzwiller was named to the C2C Second Team.

Ziaja started all 17 games and anchored a Pioneers defense that allowed just 11 goals on the season, second fewest in the conference. The junior provided the team with some offense as well, scoring six goals, which tied for the team lead. The Lake Forest, Illinois native was very efficient, converting his 11 shots and seven shots on goal into the six goals. Ziaja netted game-winning goals against Central (Iowa) and UW-Whitewater.

In his first year with the Pioneers, Williams scored four goals with four assists while playing in all 17 games. The freshman midfielder found the back of the net in his first career game and scored the game-winning goal in a win over Greenville on September 16. The Plainfield, Illinois native ranked fourth on the team with 23 shots.

Keller played in 16 games, starting four on the UW-Platteville back line. The C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award is another academic award for the Mechanical Engineering major after being named a CSC Academic All-American and Academic All-District member a year.

Carranza tied for the team lead in goals (6) and points (13) while playing in all 17 games. The sophomore recorded a team-high three game-winning goals, including the deciding goal on a penalty kick in a win over UW-Eau Claire to close the regular season. The St. Charles, Illinois native led the team with 21 shots on goal and was second with 36 total shots.

Gutzwiller started all 13 games he played and tied for the team lead in points (13) and assists (5). The sophomore scored four goals on the year, including three in the first four games, and netted the game-winner at Wheaton (Ill.) to begin the season. The Peoria, Illinois native recorded multiple assists in a win over Webster and finished with 29 shots, which ranked third on the team.

The Pioneers season continues Thursday in Santa Cruz, California at the C2C Tournament. UW-Platteville faces Salisbury in the quarterfinals at 4 p.m.

The full C2C release can be found HERE.