SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG forward Ismail El Harchi and Mercer goalkeeper Brant Zulauf have been named the Southern Conference men’s soccer offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for all competition Sept. 27 to Oct. 3.
 
El Harchi led the Spartans with two goals and two assists on the week as UNCG played to a 1-1 draw against No. 15 Louisville, its first top-25 opponent of the season, on Tuesday, Sept. 27, and clinched a 5-1 victory in its SoCon opener against Furman on Saturday, Oct. 1. In the contest with the Cardinals, El Harchi recorded one assist. The assist was on the game-tying goal in the 33rd minute when he found freshman Steven Hernandez, who maneuvered past Louisville defenders and struck the ball to the right of the net for the tally. The graduate finished with two goals and one assist in the Spartans' first conference victory of the season against the Paladins. El Harchi put UNCG on the board first in the contest, connecting with a JC Ngando cross in the 20th minute to net the ball past Furman's goalkeeper for the early advantage. Four minutes after Furman scored the equalizer, El Harchi struck again with a left-footed finish to hand the Spartans a 2-1 advantage in the 65th minute before registering his second assist of the week in the 79th minute of the match as Hernandez scored to hand the Spartans the 3-1 lead. The Santomera, Murica, Spain, native is now second on the team for most goals scored, with four, while his three assists are third on the squad.
 
Last week, the Spartans received votes in the United Soccer Coaches National Poll and a No. 7 ranking in the South Region Poll. The Spartans are also ranked No. 22 in the College Soccer News Poll and No. 13 by Top Drawer Soccer.
 
Zulauf played all 180 minutes inside the net for Mercer as the Bears went 1-0-1 this past week, earning a 1-0 victory over Georgia Southern on Tuesday before playing to a 0-0 draw in their SoCon opener against Wofford on Saturday. The Alpharetta, Georgia, native had one save in the shutout victory over the Eagles. In the contest with the Terriers, Zulauf finished with three saves. Zulauf is now 1-1-1 on the season and has now registered two shutouts in his three starts this season for the Bears.
 
UNCG (6-1-3, 1-0-0 SoCon) returns to competition on Wednesday, Oct. 5, as the Spartans host Elon in Greensboro, North Carolina, for a nonconference match at 7 p.m. Mercer (4-2-5, 0-0-1) returns to action on Tuesday, Oct. 4, as the Bears host Lipscomb in Macon, Georgia, for a nonconference match at 6 p.m.
 
Also nominated for offensive player of the week: Kieran Richards (ETSU) and Nikolai Rojel (Wofford).
 
Also nominated for defensive player of the week: Sebastian Raventlow-Mourier (ETSU), Marco Milanese (UNCG) and Cameron Victor (Wofford).
 
2022 SoCon Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week
Aug. 30       Kieran Richards, Sr., F, ETSU
Sept. 6       Steven Hernandez, Fr., F, UNCG
Sept. 13      Marco Afonso, Gr., F, UNCG
Sept. 20      JC Ngando, So., MF, UNCG
Sept. 27      Alfredo-Diaz Santillan, Sr., MF, Furman
Oct. 4         Ismail El Harchi, Gr., F, UNCG
 
2022 SoCon Men’s Soccer Defensive Players of the Week
Aug. 30       Cole Hunter, R-Sr., GK, ETSU
Sept. 6        Trevor McMullen, Jr., GK, Mercer
Sept. 13      Ben Roberts, Sr., GK, Furman
Sept. 20      Niclas Wild, Jr., GK, UNCG
Sept. 27      Sekou Agard, So., D, Mercer
Oct. 4          Brant Zulauf, R-Jr., GK, Mercer