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Men’s Soccer All Conference Teams Announced
ETSU’s Tarik Pannholzer, Wofford’s Nikolai Rojel named Co-Players of the Year
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – After clinching the SoCon regular-season title, ETSU claimed a share of three individual awards including Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, and Coach of the Year. ETSU’s Tarik Pannholzer and Wofford’s Nikolai Rojel share the Player of the Year title due to a tie in voting, while ETSU’s Cole Hunter was named the SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year. ETSU’s David Lilly and Wofford’s Joel Tyson were selected as Co-Coach of the Year honorees, while Mercer’s Barzee Blama was tabbed Freshman of the year after finishing the season with seven goals. The Buccaneers, who were predicted to finish tied for second in the preseason poll, posted a 4-0-1 league mark this season to claim their first regular-season championship since 2017.
The league’s six coaches also named two all-conference teams and an all-freshman squad. This season’s all-conference first team and all-freshman team includes 11 student athletes, the all-conference second team has 12 student-athletes due to a tie in the voting. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players or themselves.
ETSU and Wofford led all squads with each earning nine selections on the postseason teams,, including four players on the all-conference first team. UNCG featured six total selections, while Furman and Mercer followed closely behind with five and three selections, respectively. VMI rounded out the squads with two student-athletes represented.
Pannholzer, a first-team all-conference selection for the second straight season, helped lead ETSU to the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Championship. The Flensburg, Germany, native scored five goals, including two game-winning goals, and added five assists for a total of 15 points in his 16 starts for the Bucs this season. Pannholzer earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 24 following his impressive performance in ETSU’s 2-0 shutout against Furman on Oct. 21.
Rojel, a first-team all-conference selection and the freshman of the year last season, led Wofford offensively to a 3-0-2 conference record to take the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Championship. The Copenhagen, Denmark, product scored 11 goals, placing him tied for 15th nationally, and he contributed one assist for a total of 23 points in his 16 starts for the Terriers this year. Rojel earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5, Oct. 3, and Oct. 17, after scoring two goals against Duke, three goals against Winthrop for his first career hat trick, and a goal against UNCG.
Hunter led the conference in goals against average (0.583) and save percentage (.868). He ranked first in shutouts, registering six following the Bucs’ 2-0 conference win over Furman on Oct. 21. The Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native led an ETSU defense that gave up just 12 goals this season. The graduate student was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24, after his shutout against Furman. Hunter earned a spot on the all-conference first team in addition to his SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Blama, who is also an all-freshman and All-SoCon second-team selection, recorded 15 points on seven goals, two of which were game winners, and one assist to power Mercer to a 1-2-2 conference record as the Bears finished the regular season fifth in head coach Brad Ruzzo’s sixteenth season. The forward's seven goals led the squad this season and are tied for the second-most goals scored in the conference. Blama earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Month honors for September after scoring 11 points in his eight appearances that month. He also was named SoCon Player of the Week on Aug. 29 and Sept. 19. The Snellville, Georgia, native is the first Mercer Bear to earn freshman of the year honors since Trevor Martineau in 2018.
ETSU’s Lilly and Wofford’s Tyson were tabbed the league’s coaches of the year. Lilly led ETSU to a 9-5-2 overall record and a 4-0-1 conference record. ETSU leads the SoCon in points per game (4.63), assists (26) and save percentage (.833). Tyson led Wofford to a 7-3-6 overall record and a 3-0-2 conference record. The Terriers enter the SoCon Championship as the No. 2 seed. ETSU and Wofford share the conference lead in shutouts with seven apiece.
Buccaneer midfielder Gabriel Ramos and defender Chris McKenna join Pannholzer and Hunter on the all-conference first team. Ramos leads the Bucs in points with 16, with those points coming off six goals, two game-winning, and four assists. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10. McKenna had four goals and two assists for 10 points and secured SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 19 and Oct. 31. ETSU forward Kieran Richards and defenders Yves Tcheuyap and Henrik Guenther earned spots on the second team. Richards tallied 10 points on four goals and two assists. Tcheuyap contributed a goal and an assist this season and earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17, while Guenther had two assists on the year. Forward Louie Salkeld and defender Nico Kross rounded out the ETSU players earning postseason honors, with the two earning spots on the all-freshman team.
Terrier midfielder Jakob Andersson and defender Moa Mohammedi represent Wofford alongside Rojel on the all-conference first team. Andersson leads the SoCon and the Terriers in assists this season with seven. The Stockholm, Sweden, native also contributed two goals to tally 11 points on the season. Mohammedi bolstered the Terrier defense this season starting in fifteen games. Wofford had four players earn spots on the second team, and two earn spots on the all-freshman team. Midfielders Thaddues Dennis and Magnus Kjoller, defender Paul Jones and goalkeeper Cameron Victor all earned second-team honors. Dennis and Kjoller each tallied two goals and an assist for three points, while Jones played in the backfield during 13 games for the Terriers. Victor led the SoCon this season in shutouts with seven and was the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10. Fabian Menendez (midfielder) and Villads Landsperg (defender) were named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Furman had five selections this season, with forward Christian Kraus and midfielder Dylan Lane on the first team, defender Slade Starnes earning a spot on the second team, and midfielder Caleb Johnson and goalkeeper Aaron Salinas clinching spots on the all-freshman team. Kraus registered seven goals and four assists for a team-leading 18 points, while Lane added nine points on three goals and three assists for the Paladins this season. Starnes concluded the season with one goal, and Johnson ended the season with one goal and three assists. Salinas ended the season with four shoutouts and 32 saves. The Paladins earned the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Championship.
Mercer had two selections this season as defender Sekou Agard rounds out the first team, joining Blama in representing the Bears. Agard finished the season with three points on one goal and one assist.
UNCG forward Arnaud Tattevin and midfielders Basile Marc and Jack Birch earned second-team all-conference distinction. Tattevin, along with midfielder Keanan Bader and defender Enzo Dovlo, earned a place on the all-freshman squad. The Spartans concluded the regular season with a 2-9-5 overall record and a 1-2-2 SoCon record to earn the fourth seed in the SoCon Championship.
VMI’s forward Cole Mooney rounds out the all-conference second team after leading the Keydets to a 5-13 record this season. Forward Kyle Grant rounds out the all-freshman squad after collecting ten points during the season off three goals and four assists.
No. 4 seed UNCG will play No. 5 seed Mercer in the SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m. in Johnson City, Tennessee, while No. 3 seed Furman and No. 6 seed VMI play the same day at 4 p.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina. No. 1 seed ETSU will play the winner of Mercer and UNCG and No. 2 seed Wofford will play the winner of Furman and VMI. The semifinal matches will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5, with Wofford scheduled to host at 2 p.m. and the match at ETSU scheduled at 3 p.m.
The championship match will take place Saturday, Nov. 11, or Sunday, Nov. 12, at the highest remaining seed. The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.
2023 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team
Player of the Year – Tarik Pannholzer, Sr., F, ETSU / Nikolai Rojel, So., F, Wofford
Goalkeeper of the Year – Cole Hunter, Gr., ETSU
Coach of the Year – David Lilly, ETSU / Joel Tyson, Wofford
Freshman of the Year – Barzee Blama, F, Mercer
First Team
F Tarik Pannholzer, ETSU
F Christian Kraus, Furman
F Nikolai Rojel, Wofford
MF Gabriel Ramos, ETSU
MF Dylan Lane, Furman
MF Jakob Andersson, Wofford
MF Magnus Kjoller, Wofford
D Chris McKenna, ETSU
D Sekou Agard, Mercer
D Moa Mohammedi, Wofford
GK Cole Hunter, ETSU
Second Team
F Kieran Richards, ETSU
F Barzee Blama, Mercer
F Arnaud Tattevin, UNCG
MF Jack Birch, UNCG
MF Basile Marc, UNCG
MF Cole Mooney, VMI
MF Thaddeus Dennis, Wofford
D Henrik Guenther, ETSU
D Yves Tcheuyap, ETSU
D Slade Starnes, Furman
D Paul Jones, Wofford
GK Cameron Victor, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Louie Salkeld, MF, ETSU
Nico Kross, D ETSU
Aaron Salinas, GK, Furman
Caleb Johnson, MF, Furman
Barzee Blama, F, Mercer
Arnaud Tattevin, F, UNCG
Enzo Dovlo, D, UNCG
Keanan Bader, MF, UNCG
Kyle Grant, F, VMI
Fabian Menendez, MF, Wofford
Villads Landsperg, D, Wofford
The league’s six coaches also named two all-conference teams and an all-freshman squad. This season’s all-conference first team and all-freshman team includes 11 student athletes, the all-conference second team has 12 student-athletes due to a tie in the voting. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players or themselves.
ETSU and Wofford led all squads with each earning nine selections on the postseason teams,, including four players on the all-conference first team. UNCG featured six total selections, while Furman and Mercer followed closely behind with five and three selections, respectively. VMI rounded out the squads with two student-athletes represented.
Pannholzer, a first-team all-conference selection for the second straight season, helped lead ETSU to the No. 1 seed in the SoCon Championship. The Flensburg, Germany, native scored five goals, including two game-winning goals, and added five assists for a total of 15 points in his 16 starts for the Bucs this season. Pannholzer earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 24 following his impressive performance in ETSU’s 2-0 shutout against Furman on Oct. 21.
Rojel, a first-team all-conference selection and the freshman of the year last season, led Wofford offensively to a 3-0-2 conference record to take the No. 2 seed in the SoCon Championship. The Copenhagen, Denmark, product scored 11 goals, placing him tied for 15th nationally, and he contributed one assist for a total of 23 points in his 16 starts for the Terriers this year. Rojel earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5, Oct. 3, and Oct. 17, after scoring two goals against Duke, three goals against Winthrop for his first career hat trick, and a goal against UNCG.
Hunter led the conference in goals against average (0.583) and save percentage (.868). He ranked first in shutouts, registering six following the Bucs’ 2-0 conference win over Furman on Oct. 21. The Mount Juliet, Tennessee, native led an ETSU defense that gave up just 12 goals this season. The graduate student was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24, after his shutout against Furman. Hunter earned a spot on the all-conference first team in addition to his SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Blama, who is also an all-freshman and All-SoCon second-team selection, recorded 15 points on seven goals, two of which were game winners, and one assist to power Mercer to a 1-2-2 conference record as the Bears finished the regular season fifth in head coach Brad Ruzzo’s sixteenth season. The forward's seven goals led the squad this season and are tied for the second-most goals scored in the conference. Blama earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Month honors for September after scoring 11 points in his eight appearances that month. He also was named SoCon Player of the Week on Aug. 29 and Sept. 19. The Snellville, Georgia, native is the first Mercer Bear to earn freshman of the year honors since Trevor Martineau in 2018.
ETSU’s Lilly and Wofford’s Tyson were tabbed the league’s coaches of the year. Lilly led ETSU to a 9-5-2 overall record and a 4-0-1 conference record. ETSU leads the SoCon in points per game (4.63), assists (26) and save percentage (.833). Tyson led Wofford to a 7-3-6 overall record and a 3-0-2 conference record. The Terriers enter the SoCon Championship as the No. 2 seed. ETSU and Wofford share the conference lead in shutouts with seven apiece.
Buccaneer midfielder Gabriel Ramos and defender Chris McKenna join Pannholzer and Hunter on the all-conference first team. Ramos leads the Bucs in points with 16, with those points coming off six goals, two game-winning, and four assists. The Sao Paulo, Brazil, native was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10. McKenna had four goals and two assists for 10 points and secured SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 19 and Oct. 31. ETSU forward Kieran Richards and defenders Yves Tcheuyap and Henrik Guenther earned spots on the second team. Richards tallied 10 points on four goals and two assists. Tcheuyap contributed a goal and an assist this season and earned SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17, while Guenther had two assists on the year. Forward Louie Salkeld and defender Nico Kross rounded out the ETSU players earning postseason honors, with the two earning spots on the all-freshman team.
Terrier midfielder Jakob Andersson and defender Moa Mohammedi represent Wofford alongside Rojel on the all-conference first team. Andersson leads the SoCon and the Terriers in assists this season with seven. The Stockholm, Sweden, native also contributed two goals to tally 11 points on the season. Mohammedi bolstered the Terrier defense this season starting in fifteen games. Wofford had four players earn spots on the second team, and two earn spots on the all-freshman team. Midfielders Thaddues Dennis and Magnus Kjoller, defender Paul Jones and goalkeeper Cameron Victor all earned second-team honors. Dennis and Kjoller each tallied two goals and an assist for three points, while Jones played in the backfield during 13 games for the Terriers. Victor led the SoCon this season in shutouts with seven and was the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10. Fabian Menendez (midfielder) and Villads Landsperg (defender) were named to the SoCon All-Freshman Team.
Furman had five selections this season, with forward Christian Kraus and midfielder Dylan Lane on the first team, defender Slade Starnes earning a spot on the second team, and midfielder Caleb Johnson and goalkeeper Aaron Salinas clinching spots on the all-freshman team. Kraus registered seven goals and four assists for a team-leading 18 points, while Lane added nine points on three goals and three assists for the Paladins this season. Starnes concluded the season with one goal, and Johnson ended the season with one goal and three assists. Salinas ended the season with four shoutouts and 32 saves. The Paladins earned the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Championship.
Mercer had two selections this season as defender Sekou Agard rounds out the first team, joining Blama in representing the Bears. Agard finished the season with three points on one goal and one assist.
UNCG forward Arnaud Tattevin and midfielders Basile Marc and Jack Birch earned second-team all-conference distinction. Tattevin, along with midfielder Keanan Bader and defender Enzo Dovlo, earned a place on the all-freshman squad. The Spartans concluded the regular season with a 2-9-5 overall record and a 1-2-2 SoCon record to earn the fourth seed in the SoCon Championship.
VMI’s forward Cole Mooney rounds out the all-conference second team after leading the Keydets to a 5-13 record this season. Forward Kyle Grant rounds out the all-freshman squad after collecting ten points during the season off three goals and four assists.
No. 4 seed UNCG will play No. 5 seed Mercer in the SoCon Men’s Soccer Championship quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 3, at 3 p.m. in Johnson City, Tennessee, while No. 3 seed Furman and No. 6 seed VMI play the same day at 4 p.m. in Spartanburg, South Carolina. No. 1 seed ETSU will play the winner of Mercer and UNCG and No. 2 seed Wofford will play the winner of Furman and VMI. The semifinal matches will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5, with Wofford scheduled to host at 2 p.m. and the match at ETSU scheduled at 3 p.m.
The championship match will take place Saturday, Nov. 11, or Sunday, Nov. 12, at the highest remaining seed. The tournament winner earns the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship.
2023 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team
Player of the Year – Tarik Pannholzer, Sr., F, ETSU / Nikolai Rojel, So., F, Wofford
Goalkeeper of the Year – Cole Hunter, Gr., ETSU
Coach of the Year – David Lilly, ETSU / Joel Tyson, Wofford
Freshman of the Year – Barzee Blama, F, Mercer
First Team
F Tarik Pannholzer, ETSU
F Christian Kraus, Furman
F Nikolai Rojel, Wofford
MF Gabriel Ramos, ETSU
MF Dylan Lane, Furman
MF Jakob Andersson, Wofford
MF Magnus Kjoller, Wofford
D Chris McKenna, ETSU
D Sekou Agard, Mercer
D Moa Mohammedi, Wofford
GK Cole Hunter, ETSU
Second Team
F Kieran Richards, ETSU
F Barzee Blama, Mercer
F Arnaud Tattevin, UNCG
MF Jack Birch, UNCG
MF Basile Marc, UNCG
MF Cole Mooney, VMI
MF Thaddeus Dennis, Wofford
D Henrik Guenther, ETSU
D Yves Tcheuyap, ETSU
D Slade Starnes, Furman
D Paul Jones, Wofford
GK Cameron Victor, Wofford
All-Freshman Team
Louie Salkeld, MF, ETSU
Nico Kross, D ETSU
Aaron Salinas, GK, Furman
Caleb Johnson, MF, Furman
Barzee Blama, F, Mercer
Arnaud Tattevin, F, UNCG
Enzo Dovlo, D, UNCG
Keanan Bader, MF, UNCG
Kyle Grant, F, VMI
Fabian Menendez, MF, Wofford
Villads Landsperg, D, Wofford