CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – After finishing second in the Patriot League regular season standings, the Boston University men's soccer team earned six Al-Conference Team awards, the league office announced Monday afternoon. All six Terriers recognized earned their first-ever conference honor.

Senior defender Adam Sheikali, sophomore goalkeeper Michael Bernardi and freshman Toti Knutsson were named to the second team, while sophomore forward Matt McDonnell, freshman midfielder Peter Kargbo and freshman defender Elias Lampis were placed on the third team.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Sheikali anchored a backline alongside Lampis (Antwerp, Belgium) that helped hold PL opponents to a conference-low seven goals combined. Sheikali also scored the game-winning goal against Harvard in a 1-1 victory and assisted on the score to post a 1-1 draw against Princeton, while Lampis tallied an assist in the 3-1 win at Army.

Bernardi (Mahopac, N.Y.) guarded the net in six of the seven shutouts for the Terriers this season. He posted the PL's top goals against average in conference play at 0.794 while ranking fifth in save percentage (0.741). He also finished ninth in saves per game at 2.22.

Knutsson (Gardabaer, Iceland) led the BU offense with 11 points off three goals and five assists. He tallied the game-winning goal and assisted on the insurance score for the 2-0 win over Lehigh and later tallied the game winner against Navy. He also had two assists during the 3-1 win at Army West Point.

Matching Knutsson with two game-winning goals, McDonnell (Smithtown, N.Y.) posted a team-high four goals and added an assist to finish with nine points for the regular season. He put BU ahead for good against both American (2-0) and Holy Cross (3-0). He aso tallied an assist against Loyola Maryland.

Kargbo (Makeni, Sierra Leone) finished second on the team in minutes played during the regular season at 1,452 and played a critical role in the midfield to help push the ball up the field and also limit opponents' corner kick opportunities. With his help, BU averaged two more shots per game in conference games (10.9-8.4) and outscored opponents, 14-7.

The Terriers will next open the PL Tournament in the semifinals against an opponent to be determined on Friday (Nov. 10) with an 8 p.m. start time at top-seed Loyola Maryland. 

2017 Patriot League Men's Soccer All-League Team
Offensive Player of the Year:  Mark Forrest, Lehigh, Jr., F
Midfielder of the Year: Barry Sharifi, Loyola Maryland, So., M
Defensive Player of the Year: Zac McGraw, Army West Point, So., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Chase Vosvick, Loyola Maryland, Fr., GK
Rookie of the Year: Chase Vosvick, Loyola Maryland, Fr., GK
Coach of the Year: Steve Nichols, Loyola Maryland
 
Note: Listed in school alphabetical order.
All-Patriot League Men's Soccer First Team
Zac McGraw, Army West Point, So., D
Aram Ouligian, Colgate, Jr., D
Jared Stroud, Colgate, Sr., M
Mark Forrest, Lehigh, Jr., F
Alex Greene, Lehigh, Jr., M
Doyle Tuvesson, Lehigh, So., F
Gabriel Carlsson, Loyola Maryland, Jr., M
Brian Saramago, Loyola Maryland, So., F
Barry Sharifi, Loyola Maryland, So., M
A. Mickey Watson, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Chase Vosvick, Loyola Maryland, Fr., GK
 
All-Patriot League Men's Soccer Second Team^
Marcos Arroyo, Army West Point, Sr., M
Rex Epps, Army West Points, So., F
Justin Stoll, Army West Point, So., GK
Michael Bernardi, Boston University, So., GK
Toti Knutsson, Boston University, Fr., M
Adam Sheikali, Boston University, Sr., D
Justin Carfora, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Arno Rupp, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Christian Moyse, Lafayette, Sr., D
Evan Vare, Lafayette, So., F
John Marc Charpentier, Lehigh, Sr., D
Sam Carter, Loyola Maryland, So., D
Josh Fawole, Loyola Maryland, So., F
 
All-Patriot League Men's Soccer Third Team*@
Keenan Oshea, Army West Point, So., F
Peter Kargbo, Boston University, Fr., M
Elias Lampis, Boston University, Fr., D
Matt McDonnell, Boston University, So., F
Nick King, Bucknell, So., M
Tyler Peterson, Bucknell, Jr., D
Matt Thorsheim, Bucknell, Fr., F
Yuji Callahan, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Stevo Bednarsky, Lehigh, Fr., D
Oscar Greene, Lehigh, Jr., M
 
^Due to a tie in voting, there are two goalkeepers on the second team and none on the third team
*Due to a tie in voting, there are two at-large positions on the second team and none on the third team
@ Due to a tie in voting, there are four midfielders on the third team