GREENSBORO, N.C. – Marco Afonso and Isaac Briner of the UNC Greensboro men’s soccer team were named to the College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer National Teams of the Week.
 
Earlier this week, the Spartans, who are seeded 12th in the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship, tied No. 5 seed Stanford, 1-1, in California during the third round. UNCG then prevailed in penalty kicks with a 3-1 score to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament. This will be the first time in Division I history that the Spartans will be playing in the tournament quarterfinals.
 
Afonso fired a one-timer into the back of the frame from inside the box in regulation to get the Spartans on the board. The goal was set up by a nice and gutsy move down the right flank and pass from J.C. Ngando. The fifth-year from Johannesburg, South Africa, scored his eighth tally of the season and his 16th of his collegiate career.
 
Briner took over for Spartan goalkeeper Niclas Wild when the contest went into a penalty kick shootout after overtime. Briner came up with three crucial stops in the shootout, helping UNCG prevail 3-1 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
 
The Spartans, under fourth-year head coach Chris Rich, improved to 13-1-6 and earned the right to host 13th-seeded Indiana at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Saturday at 5 p.m. with a trip to the College Cup on the line. Purchase tickets for the Saturday’s game here.