Kaland Named University's Male Athlete of the Year
May 15, 2001 | Men's Soccer
Joachim Kaland, who earned All-America honors this past season as he helped lead the Terrier men's soccer team to its best record in four years, has been selected Boston University's Male Athlete of the Year.
Kaland, who received the Mickey Cochrane Award at the athletic department's end of the year banquet, is just the second men's soccer player ever to receive the award. First presented in 1964, the only previous men's soccer player to be voted the male athlete of the year was Ben Okaroh in 1988.
"This is a great honor for Joachim," Terrier soccer coach Neil Roberts said of the Award, which is voted on by the athletic department's coaches and administrative staff. "There were some very gifted athletes who were also nominated. So, this is a great tribute to what Joachim accomplished this past season.
"As a team captain, he was an outstanding leader on a very young team," continued the coach. "Plus, on the field, he was as versatile a player as we have ever had here."
Offensively, this past year Kaland set a school single-season record with 19 goals while his 44 total points was the second highest single-season total in school history. He led America East in scoring, while he ranked in the top-10 in the nation in goals and points in a game.
His performance earned him Second Team All-American honors while he was also the America East Player of the Year and team MVP. He was the catalyst behind the Terriers' 13-5-1 overall record, as it marked their best season since the 1997 team was 14-6-2. In addition, the Terriers were 9-1-1 in America East play as they won their first regular-season title since 1994.
For his career, Kaland finished with 33 goals and 15 assists for 81 points. The goal total ties him for fourth on the Terriers' all-time list, while the point total ranks sixth.
"Joachim was more than just a goal scorer for us," said Roberts. "He was also an excellent defender. In fact, his junior year (2000), we started the season with him at back, and he was there until he suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for the final 10 games of the year.
"This past year, when we were leading late in a game, we would move him back from forward to midfield," said Roberts. "So, he played several positions for us.
"I also feel that he has the ability to play at the next level," concluded the coach. "And, I think he could be an outside back or play the midfield. For someone who can score 20 goals, he is a very good one-on-one defender."
