Koffi, Kimura First Team All-Summit; Hirokawa and Clark Honored on Postseason List
11/9/2022 10:30:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Multiple Roos were named postseason First Team All-Conference for the first time since 2012
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - In a season that has seen Kansas City Men's Soccer post its first winning season in over a decade, including the first result against a top-ten ranked team since 2008, four Roos have been named to All-Summit League Postseason Teams, the league announced this morning. Christian Koffi was named First Team All-League and All-Newcomer Team, joined by Kazuki Kimura on the First Team. Kotaro Hirokawa earned Second Team All-League honors, while Cooper Clark gained a spot on the Honorable Mention Team.
CHRISTIAN KOFFI
After sitting out last season due to injury, Koffi has made his mark as one of the best forwards in the Summit League this year. The junior is tied for the team lead in assists, ranking second in goals and points. He finds himself all over the Summit League leaderboards, ranking first in the league in shots and shots on goal, second in game-winning goals, sixth in points and eighth in assists.
Koffi notched his first assist in the Roos' 3-2 win over Bradley on Aug. 28 and proceeded to dish out an assist in four of the next five games. He has scored four goals on the year, including three game-winners against Detroit Mercy, Lindenwood and Eastern Illinois. In addition, he attempted a program-record 13 shots in the Roos' game against Oral Roberts, a mark that is tied for the most in the NCAA in the past three seasons.
KAZUKI KIMURA
Kimura followed up his 2021 Second Team All-Summit and All-Newcomer Team honors with a stellar senior season, leading the team and tied for third in the Summit League with six goals. Kimura has added two assists, giving him a team-leading 14 points, which. Ranks fifth in the league.
He scored his first goal of the year in the form of a game-winner against Bradley, also tallying an assist in that contest. He has proceeded to score five more goals on the year, tying him for the most goals by a Roo in a single season since 2017. Kimura also ranks second on the team in shots and shots on goal, and his shots on goal percentage of 0.500 is the 57th-best in all of Division One.
KOTARO HIROKAWA
Hirokawa was named a Summit League 'Player to Watch' prior to the 2022 season, and has lived up to that title, earning Second Team All-League honors. He leads Kansas City outfielders in minutes played, is tied for second on the team with two goals scored and is tied for the team-lead and eighth in the Summit with five total assists.
Hirokawa played the full 90 minutes in the Roos' opener against Drake, and has been a mainstay on the field ever since, playing at least 80 minutes in all but three games and playing full-time on seven occasions. He tallied a goal and an assist in KC's win over Detroit Mercy, and has tallied six more points across the year, all coming in wins or draws for the Roos.Â
COOPER CLARK
The two-time Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year earns Honorable Mention All-League honors in his final campaign, making him the first keeper in program history to earn All-League honors in three-straight years. In addition, he is the first Roo overall to earn three-straight All-League selections since Jordan Rideout from 2011-13.
Clark posted a career-high four shutouts this season, all of which came in conference play. That mark is tied for the fifth-most in a single season in program history, and is the third-most by a Summit League keeper this year. Clark ranks second in the Summit and 49th in the nation, averaging 3.93 saves per game, and his save percentage of 0.747 was third-best in the conference. Clark finished the regular season with a shutout against St. Thomas, earning Summit League Defensive Peak Performer of the Week honors.
Kansas City begins postseason play in Denver, Colo. tomorrow, taking on top-seeded Oral Roberts in the Summit League Semifinals at 1 p.m. The game can be streamed live at thesummitleague.org, and will be live-tweeted @KCRoosMSoccer.
