SPARTANBURG, SC – Mercer freshman Eli Bannister and UNC Greensboro senior Kimito Fritz were named Southern Conference offensive and defensive players of the week for matches held from October 14-20.
Bannister (Fayetteville, GA / Sandy Creek HS) factored heavily in Mercer’s road win at ETSU on Saturday, which vaulted the Bears into a tie for first place in the SoCon regular season standings with two league matches remaining. Bannister scored the game winner in Johnson City, rising over an ETSU defender for a successful header in the 89th minute of a 3-2 victory. The left back also tallied an assist in the 15th minute on an Ehi Aimiuwu goal that leveled the match early on. Bannister played all 90 minutes in the win and has started 13 matches for Mercer in his first campaign with the program. He has registered two goals and three assists so far in 2025.
Fritz (Tokyo, Japan / Teikyo Third) led No. 18 UNC Greensboro to a 1-0-1 week and was critical on the defensive end of a 1-1 draw at No. 5 Virginia last Tuesday evening. He bolstered a Spartans’ defense that played a man down after a red card in the 82nd minute, helping to preserve another strong result against a Top 10 foe. In Saturday night’s 3-0 win over Wofford, Fritz found the back of the net off a penalty kick in the 64th minute for his first goal of the season. His effort on defense limited the Terriers to only one shot – and no shots on goal – over 90 minutes. Fritz has played in all 14 matches for the Spartans this season, logging 13 starts.
Mercer (4-7-3, 2-0-1 SoCon) steps out of conference play this week to host Jacksonville on Tuesday, before welcoming VMI to Macon on Saturday afternoon. UNC Greensboro (9-2-3, 2-1-0 SoCon) continues one of the country’s most challenging schedules, traveling to No. 10 NC State on Tuesday night before making the trek to Greenville, SC, Saturday for a highly anticipated SoCon battle at No. 8 Furman under the lights.
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Enzo Dovlo (UNC Greensboro).
Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Zack Murphy (VMI), Connor Stout (Furman).
2025 SoCon Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week
Aug. 26 - Enzo Dovlo, Jr., F, UNC Greensboro (Paris, France)
Sep. 2 - Landon Hill, Jr., MF, Furman (Lewis Center, OH)
Sep. 9 - Steven Hernandez, R-Jr., F, UNC Greensboro (Winston-Salem, NC)
Sep. 16 - Caleb Johnson, Jr., F, Furman (Atlanta, GA)
Sep. 23 – Steven Hernandez, R-Jr., F, UNC Greensboro (Winston-Salem, NC)
Sept. 30 – Jesse Lee, Jr., MF, VMI (Dacula, GA)
Oct. 7 – Braden Dunham, Fr., D, Furman (Peachtree City, GA)
Oct. 14 – Diego Hernandez, Jr., MF, Furman (Mesquite, TX)
Oct. 21 – Eli Bannister, Fr., D, Mercer (Fayetteville, GA)
2025 SoCon Men’s Soccer Defensive Players of the Week
Aug. 26 - Ivan Horvat, R-Fr., GK, Furman (Bratislava, Croatia)
Sep. 2 - Sami Lachekar, Sr., D, UNC Greensboro (Metz, France)
Sep. 9 - Henry Hampshaw, So., GK, Mercer (Holmfirth, England)
Sep. 16 - Ivan Horvat, R-Fr., GK, Furman (Bratislava, Croatia)
Sep. 23 - Ivan Horvat, R-Fr., GK, Furman (Bratislava, Croatia)
Sep. 30 – Adam Celik, So., D, Wofford (Höllviken, Sweden)
Oct. 7 – Pepe Hinterschuster, So., GK, Wofford (Neustrelitz, Germany)
Oct. 14 – Seth Wilson, R-Jr., GK, UNC Greensboro (Frisco, TX)
Oct. 21 – Kimito Fritz, Sr., D, UNC Greensboro (Tokyo, Japan)