Dec. 17, 2008

CHICAGO- UIC junior midfielder Baggio Husidic (Velika Kladusa, Bosnia/Libertyville [Ill.] H.S.) was named a 2008 Soccer America Men's First Team MVP on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Husidic scored nine goals while assisting on six others for 24 points during the 2008 campaign. He played a key role in the Flames' run to the 2008 NCAA Sweet 16.

This is just the latest in a bevy of postseason accolades for the third-year star.

Last week Husidic was named an NSCAA/adidas First Team All-American and a College Soccer News Second Team All-American. He has also earned spots on the 2008 NSCAA/adidas All-Great Lakes Region First Team, the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Season First Team and the All-Horizon League First Team, in addition to his Horizon League Player of the Year and Horizon League Offensive Player of the Year awards.

This is the second straight season that a UIC player has been named to a Soccer America MVP Team. In 2007 goalkeeper Jovan Bubonja was named a Soccer America Men's Second Team MVP.

2008 Soccer America Men's MVPs
FIRST TEAM
Neal Kitson, St. John's, Sr.
Doug DeMartin, Michigan State, Sr.
Sam Cronin, Wake Forest, Sr.
Omar Gonzalez, Maryland, Jr.
Andrei Gotsmanov, Creighton, Sr.
Baggio Husidic, UIC, Jr.
Yohance Marshall, South Florida, Sr.
Brian Shriver, North Carolina, Sr.
Marcus Tracy, Wake Forest, Sr.
Steve Zakuani, Akron, Soph.
Graham Zusi, Maryland, Sr.

SECOND TEAM
Milos Kocic, Loyola (Md.), Jr.
Andre Akpan, Harvard, Jr.
Quincy Amarikwa, UC Davis, Sr.
Mark Blades, Northwestern, Jr.
Corben Bone, Wake Forest, Soph.
Irving Garcia, UC Irvine, Jr.
Jeremy Hall, Maryland, Jr.
Craig Henderson, Dartmouth, Sr.
Ike Opara, Wake Forest, So.
Michael Stephens, UCLA, Jr.
Andrew Wiedeman, California, So.