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Ajago Named ACC Offensive Player of the Year, Six Blue Devils Earn All-ACC Honors
11/8/2023 11:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
DURHAM – Duke men's soccer striker Forster Ajago has been named ACC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year; the league announced on Wednesday. Ajago is the third consecutive Duke player to win ACC Offensive Player of the Year and one of six total Blue Devils to earn All-ACC honors in 2023.Â
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Ajago is joined by midfielder Nick Pariano as First Team All-ACC selections. Second Team All-ACC honors went to senior defender Amir Daley, freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone and freshman striker Ulfur Bjornsson. Senior defender Antino Lopez was named Third Team All-ACC, while both Eyestone and Bjornsson also garnered ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
The sixth Duke player all-time to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors and third consecutive (Thorleifur Ulfarsson, Shakur Mohammed), Ajago leads the league in several offensive categories, including goals (14) and total points (32). The graduate student joined the Blue Devils for the 2023 season after most recently playing for Dayton and made an immediate impact, scoring five goals across two games against Furman and Wofford. The Navrongo, Ghana native has tallied at least one goal in all but three of Duke's matches since mid-September and added multi-assist games in back-to-back matches against Howard and Virginia Tech in late October. His 14 goals and 32 total points are both tied for third best in the country, one shy of each statistical categories' national leader.
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Pariano, a Preseason All-ACC selection, earns First Team All-ACC honors for the first time in his career after previously being named Second Team All-ACC in 2022 and to the All-Freshman team during his first season in Durham.
Daley logs his second straight Second Team All-ACC honor, while Eyestone and Bjornsson are the only two freshmen to be selected to the Second Team. Lopez's selection to the Third Team is his second straight, after earning the recognition in 2022 as well.
The Blue Devils place six on All-ACC Teams for the second straight season and now have 178 All-ACC honors all-time in program history. With the two All-Freshman selections, Duke now has 35 all-time, tied with Wake Forest for most in league history.
Duke, ranked eighth nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13 on ncaa.com.
2023 ACC Men's Soccer Season Honors
Offensive Player of the Year – Forster Ajago, Gr., F, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year – Garrison Tubbs, Sr., D, Wake Forest
Co-Midfielder of the Year - Jeorgio Kocevski, Sr., Syracuse; Mouhameth Thiam, Sr., Virginia
Goalkeeper of the Year – Bryan Dowd, Notre Dame
Freshman of the Year - Stephen Annor Gyamfi, F, Virginia
Coach of the Year – Chad Riley, Notre Dame
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2023 All-ACC Team
First Team        Â
Ousmane Sylla, Sr., F, Clemson
Forster Ajago, Gr., F, Duke
Nick Pariano, Sr., F, Duke
Quenzi Huerman, Gr., F, North Carolina
Bryan Dowd, Sr., GK, Notre Dame
Matthew Roou, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Filip Mirkovic, Sr., M, Pitt
Jeorgio Kocevski, Sr., M, Syracuse
Stephen Annor Gyamfi, Fr., F, Virginia
Mouhameth Thiam, Sr., M, Virginia
Garrison Tubbs, Sr., D, Wake Forest
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Second Team   Â
Brandon Parrish, Sr., M, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, Fr., F, Duke
Amir Daley, Sr., D, Duke
Julian Eyestone, Fr., GK, Duke
Damien Barker-John, So., F, Louisville
Sander Roed, Jr., M, Louisville
Riley Thomas, Sr., D, North Carolina
Eno Nto, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Trace Alphin, Jr., GK, Wake Forest
Jahlane Forbes, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Hosei Kijima, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Roald Mitchell, Jr., F, Wake Forest
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Third Team       Â
Joran Gerbet, Jr., M, Clemson
Pape Mar Boye, Fr., D, Clemson
Nathan Richmond, So., F, Clemson
Antino Lopez, Sr., D, Duke
Josh Jones, Jr., D, Louisville
Sam Williams, So., M, North Carolina
Bryce Boneau, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Kyle Genenbacher, Jr., D, Notre Dame
Daniel Russo, Sr., M, Notre Dame
Jackson Gilman, So., D, Pitt
Lorenzo Boselli, Sr., M, Syracuse
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All-Freshman Team
Xavier O'Neil, M, Boston College
Pape Mar Boye, D, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, F, Duke
Julian Eyestone, GK, Duke
Hakim Karamoko, M, NC State
Nolan Spicer, F, Notre Dame
Albert Thorsen, F, Pitt
Stephen Annor Gyamfi, F, Virginia
Brendan Lambe, M, Virginia
Noe Uwimana, D, Virginia Tech
Liam O'Gara, M, Wake Forest
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMSOC".
#GoDuke
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Ajago is joined by midfielder Nick Pariano as First Team All-ACC selections. Second Team All-ACC honors went to senior defender Amir Daley, freshman goalkeeper Julian Eyestone and freshman striker Ulfur Bjornsson. Senior defender Antino Lopez was named Third Team All-ACC, while both Eyestone and Bjornsson also garnered ACC All-Freshman Team honors.
The sixth Duke player all-time to earn ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors and third consecutive (Thorleifur Ulfarsson, Shakur Mohammed), Ajago leads the league in several offensive categories, including goals (14) and total points (32). The graduate student joined the Blue Devils for the 2023 season after most recently playing for Dayton and made an immediate impact, scoring five goals across two games against Furman and Wofford. The Navrongo, Ghana native has tallied at least one goal in all but three of Duke's matches since mid-September and added multi-assist games in back-to-back matches against Howard and Virginia Tech in late October. His 14 goals and 32 total points are both tied for third best in the country, one shy of each statistical categories' national leader.
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Pariano, a Preseason All-ACC selection, earns First Team All-ACC honors for the first time in his career after previously being named Second Team All-ACC in 2022 and to the All-Freshman team during his first season in Durham.
Daley logs his second straight Second Team All-ACC honor, while Eyestone and Bjornsson are the only two freshmen to be selected to the Second Team. Lopez's selection to the Third Team is his second straight, after earning the recognition in 2022 as well.
The Blue Devils place six on All-ACC Teams for the second straight season and now have 178 All-ACC honors all-time in program history. With the two All-Freshman selections, Duke now has 35 all-time, tied with Wake Forest for most in league history.
Duke, ranked eighth nationally in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, turns its attention to the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show scheduled for Monday, Nov. 13 on ncaa.com.
2023 ACC Men's Soccer Season Honors
Offensive Player of the Year – Forster Ajago, Gr., F, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year – Garrison Tubbs, Sr., D, Wake Forest
Co-Midfielder of the Year - Jeorgio Kocevski, Sr., Syracuse; Mouhameth Thiam, Sr., Virginia
Goalkeeper of the Year – Bryan Dowd, Notre Dame
Freshman of the Year - Stephen Annor Gyamfi, F, Virginia
Coach of the Year – Chad Riley, Notre Dame
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2023 All-ACC Team
First Team        Â
Ousmane Sylla, Sr., F, Clemson
Forster Ajago, Gr., F, Duke
Nick Pariano, Sr., F, Duke
Quenzi Huerman, Gr., F, North Carolina
Bryan Dowd, Sr., GK, Notre Dame
Matthew Roou, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Filip Mirkovic, Sr., M, Pitt
Jeorgio Kocevski, Sr., M, Syracuse
Stephen Annor Gyamfi, Fr., F, Virginia
Mouhameth Thiam, Sr., M, Virginia
Garrison Tubbs, Sr., D, Wake Forest
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Second Team   Â
Brandon Parrish, Sr., M, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, Fr., F, Duke
Amir Daley, Sr., D, Duke
Julian Eyestone, Fr., GK, Duke
Damien Barker-John, So., F, Louisville
Sander Roed, Jr., M, Louisville
Riley Thomas, Sr., D, North Carolina
Eno Nto, Jr., F, Notre Dame
Trace Alphin, Jr., GK, Wake Forest
Jahlane Forbes, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Hosei Kijima, Sr., M, Wake Forest
Roald Mitchell, Jr., F, Wake Forest
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Third Team       Â
Joran Gerbet, Jr., M, Clemson
Pape Mar Boye, Fr., D, Clemson
Nathan Richmond, So., F, Clemson
Antino Lopez, Sr., D, Duke
Josh Jones, Jr., D, Louisville
Sam Williams, So., M, North Carolina
Bryce Boneau, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Kyle Genenbacher, Jr., D, Notre Dame
Daniel Russo, Sr., M, Notre Dame
Jackson Gilman, So., D, Pitt
Lorenzo Boselli, Sr., M, Syracuse
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All-Freshman Team
Xavier O'Neil, M, Boston College
Pape Mar Boye, D, Clemson
Ulfur Bjornsson, F, Duke
Julian Eyestone, GK, Duke
Hakim Karamoko, M, NC State
Nolan Spicer, F, Notre Dame
Albert Thorsen, F, Pitt
Stephen Annor Gyamfi, F, Virginia
Brendan Lambe, M, Virginia
Noe Uwimana, D, Virginia Tech
Liam O'Gara, M, Wake Forest
To stay up to date with Blue Devils men's soccer, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeMSOC".
#GoDuke
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Players Mentioned
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