ROCK HILL, S.C. - As the Anderson University men's soccer team bids for its second consecutive South Atlantic Conference Tournament title, a school-record six players have earned All-Conference accolades, as announced by the league office Thursday morning.
A quintet of Trojans were named to the first team with senior
forward Lasse Sohrweide also earning Player of the Year honors for
the second consecutive year. Junior midfielder
Shu Ogawa, senior midfielder Mark Smith, senior defender Kevin
Butler and junior goalkeeper Lukas Hesse were named first-team,
while senior defender James Moseley earned second-team
accolades.
Anderson (15-3, 9-0 SAC) is ranked 11th in the nation and earned the top seed in the league tournament after becoming the first team since Carson-Newman in 2006 to post an unblemished SAC regular-season record. The Trojans edged eighth-seeded Wingate for the second time in four days, 2-1, to advance to Friday's semifinals.
Sohrweide is third in the nation in assists and fifth in points and ranks in the top 12 in the country in four additional offensive categories. He leads the SAC in shots, points, goals, assists and game-winning goals and earned Player of the Week honors twice during the regular season.
Ogawa, a native of Kanagawa, Japan, started 14 consecutive matches this season before suffering an injury and is a defensive midfielder who ranks fourth on the team with two assists on the season. He's been named to the Anderson University Dean's List four times as well as the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Smith is tied for fourth in the league and ranks 49th in the nation with his six assists on the season, while starting every contest this season.
Butler was named to last year's South Atlantic Conference all-tournament team and is a big-play defender and the anchor of a defense that has posted seven shutouts and is ranked 41st in the nation in total team goals-against average. Hesse has started every match between the pipes this season, recorded seven shutouts on the season and 10 clean sheets in his career. His save percentage of 0.798 ranks 36st in the country and goals against average (0.99) is in the top two in the league and 41st in nation. Hesse has posted 65 saves, while playing all but 19 minutes of the season.
Moseley is a consistent defender for the Trojans throughout his four-year career and has been named to the all-conference team every year. He has started every contest this season and is tied for third on the team with five goals on the season from his defensive position. Moseley notched the game-winning goal in the 2-1 home win past Tusculum in mid-October.
Joining AU with six All-Conference selections apiece were Tusculum and Mars Hill, which finished No. 2 and No. 3 in the regular-season SAC standings, respectively.
MHC had four first-team picks, led by forward Stephen Bivens, who finished top-10 in the SAC in every major offensive statistical category. He is joined by fellow first-teamers Rury Caulfield, Troy Chavez and Zac Scott - who was part of a three-way tie for first-team goalkeeper with Hesse and Lincoln Memorial's Michael Watkins.
Headlining Tusculum's six All-SAC members were first-team defender Matias Rubio. The Pioneers also placed five on the second team. TC's strong season was led by Allen Vital, who earned SAC Coach of the Year honors after the Pioneers finished 6-1-2 in the league.
Lincoln Memorial had four first-team and one second-team All-Conference honorees. LMU forward Mario Pinto was a first-team forward selection, and was also named the SAC Freshman of the Year after a season in which he finished second in the league in points, goals and shots. He joins teammates Watkins, midfielder Chris Nash and defender Callum Home on the first team.
Completing the All-SAC first team was Carson-Newman forward Robbie Hill, the No. 3 points and goal scorer in the conference this season.
C-N placed one student-athlete on the second team as well, while Catawba had three named to the second team.
Tusculum and Wingate tied for the SAC Fair Play Award, which recognizes the teams that accumulated the fewest red and yellow cards during conference play.
Anderson faces No. 4 seeded Lincoln Memorial at the Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex, with kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
SAC Player of the Year: Lasse Sohrweide, Anderson
SAC Freshman of the Year: Mario Pinto, Lincoln Memorial
SAC Coach of the Year: Allen Vital, Tusculum
All-SAC First Team
Forward
Lasse Sohrweide, Anderson
Robbie Hill, Carson-Newman
Mario Pinto, Lincoln Memorial
Stephen Bivens, Mars Hill
Midfielder
Shu Ogawa, Anderson
Mark Smith, Anderson
Chris Nash, Lincoln Memorial
Rury Caulfield, Mars Hill
Defender
Kevin Butler, Anderson
Callum Home, Lincoln Memorial
Troy Chavez, Mars Hill
Matias Rubio, Tusculum
Goalkeeper*
Lukas Hesse, Anderson
Michael Watkins, Lincoln Memorial
Zac Scott, Mars Hill
* Three-way tie for first-team goalkeeper; no second team distinction.
All-SAC Second Team
Forward
Carson Smith, Catawba
Leonardo Germiniani, Lincoln Memorial
Felipe Ferraro, Mars Hill
Pontus Rosen, Tusculum
Javier Portillo, Tusculum
Midfielder
Corey Faughnan, Catawba
Alex Mullen, Mars Hill
Kjetil Paulsen, Tusculum
Roberto Pimentel, Tusculum
Defender
James Moseley, Anderson
Domhnall Minogue, Catawba
Evan Preston-Kelly, Carson-Newman
Fredrik Muren, Tusculum
Statistical Champions
Goals per Match: Lasse Sohrweide (Anderson), .880
Points per Match: Lasse Sohrweide (Anderson), 2.41
Assists per Match: Lasse Sohrweide (Anderson), .650
Goals Against Average: Zac Scott (Mars Hill), .630
Shutouts: Andy Goellner (Tusculum), 7
Save Percentage: Zac Scott (Mars Hill), .865
Team Points per Match: Anderson, 7.06
Team Goals per Match: Anderson, 2.59
Team Assists per Match: Anderson, 1.88
Team Shutouts: Mars Hill, 8
Team Goals Against Average: Mars Hill, .620
Team Winning Percentage: Anderson, .824
