ST. LOUIS – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its men’s soccer postseason honors on Tuesday, as voted on by the league’s nine head coaches.
 
Missouri State’s Jesus Barea earned the league’s Player of the Year distinction for the second time in his career while taking home Forward of the Year honors. Drake’s Eskil Gjerde and Missouri State’s Tyler Caton were voted Co-Midfielders of the Year.
 
The Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year is Bowling Green’s Kyle Cusimano while Western Michigan’s Colin Welsh was named the Goalkeeper of the Year. Drake’s Preston Kipnusu became the first Bulldog to win the league’s Freshman of the Year accolade.
 
For the second time in three years, Drake was recognized with the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year award while Western Michigan was given the Valley’s Fair Play Award.
 
A total of 25 student-athletes landed a spot on either the first or second all-conference teams while seven players were named to the MVC All-Freshman Team.
 
Player of the Year: Jesus Barea, Missouri State
Forward of the Year: Jesus Barea, Missouri State
Co-Midfielders of the Year: Eskil Gjerde, Drake; Tyler Caton, Missouri State
Defensive Player of the Year: Kyle Cusimano, Bowling Green
Goalkeeper of the Year: Colin Welsh, Western Michigan
Freshman of the Year: Preston Kipnusu, Drake
Coaching Staff of the Year: Drake (Pat Flinn, Kyle Smith, Cole Poppen, James Wypych)
MVC Fair Play Award: Western Michigan

Jesus Barea earned his second MVC Player of the Year accolade, earning the distinction in 2022. He is just the second Bear to receive the honor in program history and it is just the third time in Valley history a Missouri State student-athlete has taken home the award. Since its inception in 2020, Barea became the third Bear to win the league's Forward of the Year laurel and it marks the second-straight year that an individual has swept the Player of the Year and Forward of the Year awards in men's soccer.



The Midfielder of the Year award was introduced in 2020, and this marks the first time that the honor will be shared and the fourth-straight year that a recipient has hailed from Missouri State. Tyler Caton, the league's 2023 Freshman of the Year, shares the accolade with Eskil Gjerde, who is the first Bulldog to receive the specialty honor. The duo have started every match for their respective programs. 



Kyle Cusimano, the MVC Defensive Player of the Year, is the first Falcon to take home a postseason specialty honor since Bowling Green joined the league for men's soccer ahead of the 2023 season. The fifth-year has started all 18 matches for the Falcons, playing 1,619 of 1,620 possible minutes on the pitch. With his defensive efforts, Bowling Green allowed just 21 goals all season, compared to the 37 goals scored by the Falcons. 


For the second-straight year, a Western Michigan Bronco has been recognized as the Valley's Goalkeeper of the Year. Colin Welsh, a newcomer to the MVC, led the league in save percentage and ranked second among keepers in goals against average and total saves. He started every match of the season in the net for the Broncos. 


Drake's Preston Kipnusu became the first Bulldog to be voted the MVC Freshman of the Year since the award's inception in 1996. Kipnusu was the only true freshman to land a spot on an all-conference team in 2024, earning a spot on the second team. Kipnusu ranked second on the team in goals, shots and points, netting two game winners for the Bulldogs. 


For the second time in three years, Drake's coaching staff, led by head coach Pat Flinn, was voted MVC Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers. The Bulldogs tripled their win total from last season, carrying a 9-4-3 record into the upcoming semifinal round of the MVC championship. Drake posted a 5-1-2 ledger in league play, matching its conference record from the 2022 campaign. 


Western Michigan was tabbed the honor of the Valley’s Fair Play Award, which is structured after the FIFA Fair Play honor. It is awarded to the Valley squad that has the fewest penalty cards during all MVC matches, as the Broncos tallied just 10 penalty cards in regular-season league action.


View the full list of all-conference honorees here.