INDIANAPOLIS -- Belmont freshman Rashad Hyacenth (Trinidad and Tobago) and Wright State sophomore Peguy Ngatcha (Manchester, NH) are the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Co-Offensive Players of the Week while Oakland freshman Wes Mink (West Chester, Ohio) is the Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 20-26. This marks the third time and second-straight week that Mink has collected the honor.
Horizon League newcomer Belmont (3-12-0, 1-5-0) collected its first League win over the weekend against Green Bay. The match went into double overtime and the Bruins came out with the 2-1 victory in the 107th minute.
After falling behind one goal in the 41st minute, Belmont bounced back early in the second half to find the equalizer. Hyacenth found teammate Cole Peters in front of the net who launched a header in the penalty area past Green Bay keeper Dani Alvarado. The freshman’s equalizing assist in the 51st minute would be enough to carry the Bruins into overtime. In the second overtime period, Ryan Tapley raced down the left side of the field and launched a ball near the six-yard line in front of the goal. Hyacenth then headed the ball into the far side of the net for the golden goal, topping off his three-point performance.
Wright State (10-5-1, 4-3-0) collected two wins this past week against non-conference opponent IPFW in a mid-week contest and fellow League member UIC on Saturday. Against the Mastodons, the Raiders picked up a 3-1 Senior Night victory and returned to their home pitch a few days later to defeat the Flames 2-1.
Ngatcha was a catalyst for the Raiders’ offense throughout the two games, finding the back of the net in each match. To put Wright State up two goals versus IPFW, the sophomore connected on a straight-on shot off of a pass from teammate Brett Elder for the game-winner. On Saturday, Ngatcha notched his team-leading seventh goal of the season in the 68th minute to put Wright State up 2-1. It was his second game-winning goal in as many games.
Oakland (7-5-1, 5-0-1) continued its winning ways with an upset victory over No. 10 Michigan State at Oakland Soccer Field Wednesday night, 2-0. In front of a crowd of 1,902, the Golden Grizzlies collected their first win over a ranked opponent since 2010. Oakland found the back of the net on two occasions late in the contest on goals by Matt Rickard and Gavin Hoy.
Mink made three saves in the shutout contest against Michigan State and extended his clean sheet streak to six-consecutive games. The streak marks the longest in the Division I era while the team has not given up a goal in over 579 minutes, dating back to October 1st. Mink’s performance in goal was highlighted by a breakaway save in the first half to keep the game tied.
Oakland takes the pitch again in a mid-week contest on the road against Michigan on Wednesday, with the first kick taking place at 7:30 p.m. ET. Belmont and Wright State continue League play on Saturday with the Bruins facing Detroit and the Raiders heading north to go up against the Golden Grizzlies.
Top Offensive Players of the Week:
Laurie Bell, Milwaukee (Sr., MF): Found the back of the net for the Panthers against Valparaiso in a come-from-behind draw, 1-1.
Ramone Howell, Valparaiso (Fr., MF): Scored the lone goal for the Crusaders in their 1-1 tie versus Milwaukee.
Spiro Pliakos, Detroit (Fr., F): Scored the game-winning goal in the victory over Cleveland State and had a game-high seven shots in the draw at Michigan.
Matt Rickard, Oakland (RS Jr., F): Netted the game-winning goal versus No. 10 Michigan State and currently leads the squad with three goals.
Top Defensive Players of the Week:
Nico Campbell, Valparaiso (So., GK): Made seven saves in the 1-1 draw against Milwaukee in his 90 minutes of play.
Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit (RS Jr., GK): Recorded two shutouts, extending the team’s streak to four games. Made a season-high tying eight saves versus Michigan in the draw and didn’t allow a shot on goal against Cleveland State.
Offensive Players of the Week
Aug. 25: Jesus Torres, UIC
Sept. 2: Eric Lynch, Wright State
Sept. 9: Audi Jepson, Green Bay
Sept. 16: Jorge Alvarez, UIC
Sept. 23: Zev Taublieb, Valparaiso
Sept. 30: Eric Lynch, Wright State
Oct. 6: Jordan Aidoud, Valparaiso
Oct. 13: Jose Fuentes, UIC
Oct. 20: Rashad Hyacenth, Belmont; Peguy Ngatcha, Wright State
Defensive Players of the Week
Aug. 25: Nico Campbell, Valparaiso
Sept. 2: Thomas Villamil, UIC
Sept. 9: Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit; Omar Lawrence, Valparaiso
Sept. 16: Tyler Blackmer, Wright State
Sept. 23: Nathan Steinwascher, Detroit
Sept. 30: Wes Mink, Oakland; Emeka Ononye, Wright State
Oct. 6: Cody Archibald, Oakland
Oct. 13: Wes Mink, Oakland
Oct. 20: Wes Mink, Oakland
