SPARTANBURG, SC – Furman forward
Wilfer Bustamante and Wofford defender
Clemens Astrup were named Southern Conference Men’s Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for matches played from October 13-19.
Bustamante (Greenville, SC) came through with hat trick in the Paladins’ 3-2 win over Virginia Tech on Friday night. The junior tied the match in the 40
th minute on a penalty kick, then tapped home a rebound off the foot of Braden Dunham in the 60
th minute to give Furman the lead. Bustamante ripped home another shot from the top of the box in the 65
th minute for the eventual game winner. The hat trick was the first of Bustamante’s career and the first for a Furman player since Christian Kraus did so against VMI on November 3, 2023.
Astrup (Aarhus, Denmark) proved to be a two-way force for the Terriers in a 4-0 win over SoCon newcomer Liberty Saturday night. The freshman back played all 90 minutes in the victory, keying a defense that recorded 10 blocked shot attempts and allowed only four shots on goal against the Flames. Astrup also affected the scoring for his side, recording his first career goal – the game winner – to put Wofford up 1-0 in the 36
th minute.
Furman (5-3-4, 2-1-0 SoCon, 6 points) hosts USC Upstate on Tuesday evening at 6:00 pm ET, before hitting the road on Saturday to play at ETSU (6:00 pm ET).
Wofford (8-3-3, 3-0-1 SoCon, 10 points) sits atop the SoCon table with two conference matches left and will host UNC Greensboro on Saturday at 6:00 pm ET in Spartanburg.
Also Nominated (Offense): Franklin Spires (Wofford).
Also Nominated (Defense): Hugo Martinez (ETSU).
2026 SoCon Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week
Aug 25 – Samson Kpardeh, So., F, Liberty (Worcester, MA)
Sep 1 – Keaviano Francis, Sr., MF, UNCG (East London, South Africa)
Sep 8 – Caleb Borneo, R-Jr., MF, UNCG (Morgantown, WV)
Sep 15 – Gavin Dick, Fr., F, ETSU (Stirling, Scotland)
Sep 22 – Malo Jungling, Fr., MF, UNCG (Veckring, France)
Sep 29 – Jaime Carrillo, Sr., MF, ETSU (Amarillo, Texas)
Oct 6 – Manuel Vitorino, Jr., MF, Liberty (Casais Garridos, Portugal)
Oct 13 – Gavin Dick, Fr., F, ETSU (Stirling, Scotland)
Oct 20 – Wilfer Bustamante, Jr., F, Furman (Greenville, SC)
2026 SoCon Men’s Soccer Defensive Players of the Week
Aug. 25 – Trym Linberg, So., D, UNCG (Bærums Verk, Norway)
Sep 1 – Ryan Wagner, Jr., D, Furman (Leawood, KS)
Sep 8 – Henry Hampshaw, Sr., GK, Mercer (Holmfirth, England)
Sep 15 – Seth Wilson, R-Sr., GK, UNCG (Frisco, Texas)
Sep 22 – Aaron Salinas, Sr., GK, Furman (Grand Prairie, Texas)
Sep 29 – Dan Rose, So., GK, Liberty (Leeds, England)
Oct 6 – Evan Morris, Sr., GK, Wofford (Fort Mill, SC)
Oct 13 – Mathis Robinand, Fr., D, UNCG (Rognac, France)
Oct 20 – Clemens Astrup, Fr., D, Wofford (Aarhus, Denmark)