SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Five Southern Conference men’s soccer players were named to the 2020-21 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Men’s All-South Region team, announced the United Soccer Coaches association on Wednesday.
 
Furman’s Cole McLagan was a second team selection, while teammate Ben Hale and the UNCG trio of Mani Austmann, Theo Collomb and Emmanuel Hagan Mani were third team selections. 
 
McLagan, a defender from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, earned first team All-Southern Conference honors for the second straight season after helping the Paladins to a 7-2-1 overall record, 5-0-1 league mark and SoCon regular season title. The set piece specialist scored three goals and added two assists in nine starts, while leading a Furman defense that allowed just nine goals on the season.
 
Hale swept SoCon Player of the Year and SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year honors this season, marking the first time a student-athlete has earned both awards since the addition of goalkeeper of the year in 2014. The Frisco, Texas, native earned first team All-SoCon honors and goalkeeper of the year accolades for the second time in his career. He posted a 0.97 goals-against average in nine starts, while pacing the Paladins to five shutouts in those nine matches. Hale stopped 10 shots in an overtime win versus Mercer and recorded six saves in the Paladins’ regular-season title-clinching win at Belmont.
 
Collomb, SoCon Co-Freshman of the Year, led the conference in goals (8) and tied with Austmann for a league-leading 18 points during his first collegiate campaign. The Clermont, France, native was also named the conference’s offensive player of the week on March 30 and was named the offensive player of the month for March. The All-SoCon first team and all-freshman team selection helped lead UNCG to its sixth SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship title after scoring the first goal in the semifinal round against ETSU on April 10 to advance to the championship match.
 
Austmann, a midfielder from Gardabaer, Iceland, finished the season with a career-high 18 points on a career-best seven goals and four assists. He was named the SoCon Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after tallying the game-winning goal in the championship game against Belmont in the 80th minute. He scored goals in consecutive regular-season contests against Elon and Longwood.  Austmann also scored goals in three straight conference matches against Furman, VMI, and Belmont. He scored a penalty kick goal with two seconds remaining to help the Spartans force overtime against Belmont on March 27.  
  
Hagan, an All-SoCon First-Team selection, was part of a strong defensive unit for the Spartans that allowed 0.91 goals per match. His effort helped UNCG record six shutouts and helped the Spartans enter the conference playoffs not having allowed a goal in 225 minutes.
 
 
For a full list of award winners, click here.