ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Senior Liam Priestley and sophomore Kyle Hiebert represent the Missouri State men's soccer squad on the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference scholar-athlete first team, announced by the league office Wednesday.

Priestley started every game in goal this season and recorded 63 saves. He marked his 11th shutout of the season and 25th of his career against Evansville during the MVC semi-final match and now ranks second in Missouri State history in career shutouts and tied for first on the program's single-season shutout list. Off the field, Priestley holds a 3.52 cumulative GPA in finance.

Hiebert made starts in all 17 matches this season for the Bears. The La Salle, Manitoba, Canada native netted in his first career goal against Valparaiso last month. He has been a consistent force for the Bears on the defensive side of the pitch, helping the squad to one if its best defensive seasons in history. The Bears' defense only allowed nine goals all season and holds the fifth lowest goals against average in the nation (.501). The sophomore has maintained a 4.0 cumulative GPA in accounting.

Both Priestley and Hiebert earned CoSIDa Academic All-District VI team honors last week for their work on and off the field.

Nominees for the MVC scholar-athlete team must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.20 cumulative grade-point average. Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular-season matches or played in the league tournament. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.

For all of the latest information on the Missouri State men's soccer team, visit MissouriStateBears.com or follow @MSUBearsMSoccer on Twitter and Instagram.