KANSAS CITY, Mo. | United Soccer Coaches - McKendree University men's soccer added its third-ever USC All-Midwest First Team selection this week as junior midfielder and captain
Philipp Schmidt earned his second postseason honor of the historic campaign. Schmidt, a Heidelberg, Germany-native, helped lead the Bearcats to a fourth-place finish in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while being an integral part of the program's first NCAA tournament win over SNU and push into the Round of 16. Schmidt was previously named All-GLVC second team this season and third team in 2022.
Schmidt, a three-year starter for McKendree, was voted by coaches to the Midwest Region's first team following a record-setting season for the Bearcats. The midfielder marks the program's third-ever first team selection on all-region teams after former-Bearcat standouts James Stone and Alvaro Cortazar were named first team in 2019. Schmidt totaled eight points in 2023 with three goals and two assists while starting all 21 contests. His three goals in 2023 came in the form of two game-tying scores at William Jewell (9/17) and versus UIndy (10/1) while his third score was an insurance goal versus Southwest Baptist (10/27). The junior has played in all 54 games of his tenure in Lebanon, starting 53 of those contests, including 41-straight games. On his career, Schmidt owns four goals,14 assists, and 22 points with 17 shots on-frame and 48 total shots in over 4000 minutes played.
ALL-GLVC SECOND TEAM
SEASON NOTES
McKendree collected its first NCAA tournament victory with its 1-0 victory over Southern Nazarene on November 19, punching its ticket to the program's first appearance in the NCAA Round of 16.
The Bearcats tallied 14 shutouts in 2023, an all-time single-season mark for the team and individually as freshman keeper
Christian Herluf held net in full-time this year.
Schmidt was one of five All-GLVC selections this fall and one of three second team honorees. The second team selections were Schmidt, senior defender
Matteo Schubert, and freshman goalkeeper
Christian Herluf while sophomore midfielder
Rhys Davies and graduate midfielder
Karson Huels were named to third team.
