ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell men's soccer announced its season team awards, as it wrapped up its spring practice schedule with the annual banquet in the Hall of Fame Room. The ceremony put an excellent cap on a fine season for the Big Red, which witnessed the squad reach double-digit victories for the second time over the last three seasons.
 
Senior attacking midfielder Connor Goepel was announced this season's Clive Beckford Most Valuable Player award. The award is given annually to the player who, in the opinion of his teammates, typifies the outstanding ability, spirit and determination dedicated by Beckford, the captain of the 1958 Big Red.
 
Goepel capped an excellent senior season for the Big Red in 2014. Goepel was the Big Red's clear number one creator and scoring threat. He led the team with new career highs in goals (7) and points (17), while his three assists also were a new career best. Always showing a penchant for delivering in the clutch moments, Goepel led the Ivy League with five game-winning goals on the season, which included the dazzling goal in overtime against Columbia to notch the Big Red's 10th victory of the year. Earlier this season, he became the first Big Red player since Daniel Haber in 2012 to earn Ivy League Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks. He concludes his career as one of the program's all-time greatest scorers ranking tied for 12th in goals (19), 13th in points (44), and second all-time in game-winning goals (11). He was a Second Team All-Ivy selection and a NSCAA All-East Third Team selection at the conclusion of the season.
 
This season's Peter Pakeman VIP Award was a split vote between seniors Peter Chodas and Devin Morgan. The award is given to the player who best exemplified the versatility, impact and performance of Peter Pakeman, a Cornell Athletics Hall of Famer whose versatility allowed him to gain First Team All-Ivy selection at three different positions during his collegiate career.
 
Morgan was a perfect embodiment of the award, as he made the major shift from a forward role during his junior to his center back role in 2014. That team-first attitude and dedication to his craft is the perfect embodiment of Morgan's career on East Hill. His hard work on and off the field enabled him to rise from sophomore walk-on in 2012 to a mainstay on the Cornell backend in 2014. His ability to step up in an entirely new role was paramount in the Big Red's prowess in the defensive third this season. He also got into the act offensively, marking a new career-high with three goals, including game-winners in consecutive games against Hartwick and Buffalo. Morgan was a Second Team All-Ivy selection at the conclusion of the year.
 
The Peter Pakeman VIP Award was one of two on the evening for Peter Chodas, as he was also the recipient of the Nicky Bawlf Memorial Award, which is given to the senior on the roster who has contributed the most to Cornell soccer.
 
The La Canada, Calif., native has been a mainstay on the backend for the Big Red since his debut freshman season in 2011. He was the lone returning starter from a defense that set a program record for goals allowed (11) a season ago, the Big Red did not miss a beat in 2014 largely due to Chodas' play. The team tied last year's mark with 11 goals allowed, while it set a new program single-season record with 11 shutouts on the year. The senior also played an integral role on the offensive end as the primary taker of set-piece opportunities. He posted a career high five assists, which was also a career high in points, in 2014. He goes down as the Big Red's all-time leader in minutes played (6,057) and is tied for the all-time leader in starts (65). He was an Honorable Mention selection as a junior, before being named a First Team All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy selection as a senior.
 
Morgan also picked up his second award of the evening when he was the recipient of the John Penniman Award, given to the player who displays excellence in personal discipline and character.
 
The senior trend continued when midfielder Tyler Conway took home the Charles Berman Award, given to the team's most improved player. The senior appeared in all 17 fixtures – starting 15 – for the Big Red in 2014. He finished with one point on the season after chipping in an assist in the victory over Buffalo. An exceptional student, he was just one of six players in NCAA Division I to achieve a perfect 4.00 cumulative grade point average throughout his collegiate career. He was an Academic All-District selection and was named to the Capital One Academic All-America Third Team at the conclusion of the year.
 
Cornell's Strength and Conditioning Award was handed down to another senior. The award is given to the player who displays excellence in the gym and training sessions. Reserve keeper Ian Panzica was the recipient of the award in 2014. Returning to the squad after a one-year hiatus from the team, he appeared in two games for the Big Red this past season. He frequently led by example, always one of the last players to leave the pitch for practices and games.
 
The final award was the Harold Shapiro Memorial Award, given to the player who overcomes the most physical and mental adversity throughout the season. This again was a split vote between two underclassmen, as sophomores Madison Heck and Sebastian Scales shared the award. Heck logged significant minutes for Cornell in 2014, after missing all of his freshman season due to injury. He appeared in 11 contests during the course of the season. Scales was major part of the Cornell forward rotation. He appeared in 14 fixtures, recording one assist in victories over Fairleigh Dickinson and Buffalo.
 
The 2015 men's soccer schedule is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.