KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For the second consecutive year, Bradley has placed three players on the NSCAA/Continental Tire All-Midwest Region soccer team and for the second straight year, the Bradley trio includes junior goalkeeper Brian Billings (Apple Valley, Minn./Shattuck-St. Mary's).
While Billings earned third-team honors for on the all-region team for the second straight year, senior forward Jochen Graf (Double Oak, Texas/Faustina Academy) and senior defender Tapiwa Machingauta (Marondera, Zimbabwe/Prince Edward School) both landed on the All-Midwest Region second team. The trio helped Bradley to a 10-6-4 overall record in 2012 and a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference standings.
Despite missing seven games due to injury, Graf shared team-leading honors with seven goals in 2012, including a pair of game-winning strikes. With seven goals and 16 points in just 13 games, Graf led The Valley by averaging 0.54 goals per game and 1.23 points per game. He ended his career tied for eighth in Bradley history with 14 career assists, equaling the most by a Brave since Luke Kreamalmeyer (20) and Preston Good (15) ended their Bradley careers in 2004.
Machingauta was the only Brave to start all 20 games in 2012 and he played all but 46 minutes the entire season, anchoring Bradley's backline from his sweeper position. In addition to his defensive work, which helped Bradley to five shutouts and limited the opposition to just 4.7 shots on goal per game, Machingauta recorded a pair of assists this year.
Billings posted a 9-6-4 record between the pipes in 2012, recording 4.0 shutouts and a 1.15 goals against average. Bradley's active leader with 59 career starts, Billings will begin the 2013 season ranked third in school history with 31 career goalkeeping victories and a 1.13 career goals against average. He also ranks fourth with 5,483 career minutes played and 13.0 shutouts.
Billings will have a chance to join Bradley greats Chris Dunsheath (2002-05), Gavin Glinton (1998-2001) and Bryan Namoff (1998-00) as the only Bradley players to earn at least three All-Midwest Region awards.
Though the Braves will need to replace Graf and Machingauta, as well as senior defender Matt Kuehl, Bradley figures to return 20-of-23 lettermen in 2013, including nine of the top 10 scorers and 12 of the 15 players who recorded at least one point in 2012.
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