Burke, Hughes Named HCAC Second-Team All-Conference

GREENWOOD, Ind. – The Defiance College men’s soccer program took a pair of honors on Thursday as Craig Burke and Benji Hughes were each named as Second-Team All-Heartland Conference selections as announced by the conference office.

The pair of juniors led the Yellow Jackets to a fourth-place showing in the HCAC and a berth in the conference tournament. DC struggled out of the gates before ending the regular season on a 4-2-1 surge over its final seven conference contests.

Burke, a junior defensive player, started all 17 games in which he played in 2006, playing a vital role in anchoring DC’s defensive unit on the field. The Reynoldsburg, Ohio, native helped the Yellow Jackets hold the opposition to 2.14 goals per game for the entire season. That mark fell by over half a goal per game during DC’s stretch drive, allowing just 1.63 goals per game over the final nine matches of the regular season.

Hughes, a junior midfielder, played in just 10 games this season after missing nearly all of September due to injury. Hughes’ return to the lineup seemed to spark the Yellow Jackets, who outscored the opposition by a 26-15 margin over its final nine games. The Camden, Ohio, native ignited DC’s offense with five goals, three assists and 13 points in his 10 games, ending second on the team in all three statistics. Defiance posted a 3-1-1 mark in the five games which saw Hughes score or assist a DC goal.

For the complete HCAC release on the men’s soccer all-conference teams, click here.