SPRINGFIELD – Three Missouri State men's soccer student-athletes were awarded spots on the Capital One Academic All-District VI first team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday (Oct. 27). Robbie Oslica and Phil Woods earn the honor for the second-consecutive year, while Liam Priestley picks up his first academic laurel.
 
Oslica has played a vital role in MSU's backfield over the last three years, starting in all but five of the 50 matches. The defender has logged in full minutes on the pitch in each game this season, aiding in the Bears' six shutouts. He has been the only defender to score for MSU in 2016, with goals against UMKC, SIU Edwardsville and Drake. In the classroom, Oslica holds a 3.70 grade point average as a cell and molecular biology major at MSU.
 
Over the last four seasons, Woods has made an appearance in 64 matches. The senior has three assists on the year, including the game-winning helper in MSU's 1-0 victory against UMKC. Earlier this season, Woods was named a candidate for the 2016 Senior CLASS Award for having notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The three-time MVC Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award recipient maintains a 3.82 cumulative GPA and is expected to graduate in spring of 2017 with a degree in entertainment management.   
 
Priestley has collected six clean sheets in the net for the Bears this season, with shutout victories over Green Bay, CSU Bakersfield, UMKC, Evansville, Eastern Illinois and Central Arkansas. The junior currently has a goals against average of 0.77, the third-best in the MVC and sixth-best in MSU single season history. Off the field, Priestley holds a 3.48 cumulative GPA in finance.
 
To qualify for the Capital One Academic All-District team, a nominee must hold a cumulative 3.30 grade point average, must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
 
Missouri State will host the Evansville Purple Aces in its home finale on Saturday (Oct. 29) at 7 p.m. before closing the regular season at Central Arkansas on Nov. 5.