CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – Lehigh earned a pair of Patriot League Men’s Soccer weekly awards while Boston University, Lafayette and Navy received one weekly honor each when the League office announced results on Monday.
Mountain Hawks’ sophomore Nick Jennings earned defensive player of the week honors, while teammate senior Will Smith was named goalkeeper of the week for the eighth time in his career. Boston University senior Matt McDonnell garnered this week’s Patriot League Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, while Navy senior Diego Manrique nabbed defensive player of the week. Lafayette freshman midfielder Yiannis Panayides rounded out the awards as the rookie of the week.
Army West Point senior forward Keenan O’Shea, Bucknell sophomore forward Patrick O’Hara, and Lafayette’s Ryan Goncalves (Sr., M), Marcos Kitromilides (So., F), and Alex Sutton (So., GK) were all placed on the honorable mention list.
Current Standings
| School |
Conf. |
Pct. |
Conf. Points |
Overall |
Pct. |
| Navy |
4-0-1 |
0.900 |
13 |
11-0-1 |
0.958 |
| Lehigh |
4-0-1 |
0.900 |
13 |
8-3-1 |
0.708 |
| Lafayette |
4-1 |
0.800 |
12 |
8-3-1 |
0.708 |
| Loyola Maryland |
3-2 |
0.600 |
9 |
5-7 |
0.417 |
| Boston University |
2-3 |
0.400 |
6 |
2-9-1 |
0.208 |
| Bucknell |
1-2-2 |
0.400 |
5 |
3-5-3 |
0.409 |
| Colgate |
1-3-1 |
0.300 |
4 |
2-7-4 |
0.308 |
| American |
1-3-1 |
0.300 |
4 |
1-8-2 |
0.182 |
| Holy Cross |
1-4 |
0.200 |
3 |
1-10 |
0.091 |
| Army West Point |
0-3-2 |
0.200 |
2 |
2-5-3 |
0.350 |
Upcoming Games
This week features 14 men’s soccer matches around the Patriot League with six on the
Patriot League Network (PLN).
| Tuesday, Oct. 15 |
|
| Bucknell at Northeastern |
4 p.m. |
| Lehigh at Princeton |
7 p.m. |
| Army West Point vs. St. Bonaventure |
7 p.m. |
| American at Mount St. Mary’s |
7 p.m. |
| Loyola Maryland vs. NJIT* |
7 p.m. |
| Lafayette vs. Stony Brook* |
7 p.m. |
| Colgate at Vermont |
7 p.m. |
| Boston University vs. Harvard* |
7 p.m. |
|
|
| Wednesday, Oct. 16 |
|
| Holy Cross at Delaware |
7 p.m. |
|
|
| Saturday, Oct. 19 |
|
| American at Lafayette |
Noon |
| Loyola Maryland at Colgate* |
2:30 p.m. |
| Lehigh at Navy |
8 p.m. |
|
|
| Sunday, Oct. 20 |
|
| Boston University at Bucknell* |
1 p.m. |
| Holy Cross at Army West Point* |
5 p.m. |
* Games on the Patriot League Network
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S SOCCER OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Matt McDonnell, Boston University, Sr., F, Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West
* McDonnell scored both goals to help the Terriers rally to beat American, 2-1, on Saturday.
* The first goal came in the 33
rd minute as he capitalized on a loose ball from the Eagles’ goalkeeper, followed by his second goal in the second half as he scored off a one-touch shot at the far post.
* The senior now has a personal-best seven goals this year after tallying six last year and seven combined during his first two seasons.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S SOCCER MIDFIELDER OF THE WEEK
Diego Manrique, Navy, Sr., M, Buford, Ga./Mill Creek
* Manrique tallied Navy's lone goal at Army-Navy Cup VIII as the Midshipmen played to a 1-1 draw with Army.
* The senior’s left-footed shot from over 20 yards put Navy ahead 1-0 at the half as the Midshipmen have now outscored their opponents 16-0 in the first half.
* The goal was Manrique's first of the season. He now has seven points on the season with a goal and five assists, which is tied for the most in the Patriot League.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Nick Jennings, Lehigh, So., D, Devon Pa./Conestoga
* On Saturday, Jennings delivered the game-winning goal in the 41st minute against Loyola to put Lehigh up 1-0.
* Against one of the best offenses in the Patriot League, Jennings helped anchor a defense that faced 25 Greyhound shots but kept them out of the net for the Mountain Hawks' fifth shutout of the season.
* Jennings now has a goal and two assists on the year so far, helping Lehigh stay undefeated in League play at 4-0-1 and jump back into a tie for first place with Navy.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S SOCCER GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
Will Smith, Lehigh, Sr., GK, Devon, Pa./Conestoga
* In the 1-1 week for Lehigh, Smith made 17 saves on 52 shots faced against No. 12 Georgetown and Loyola Maryland.
* On Tuesday against the Hoyas, he made a career-high 10 saves on 27 shots in a 2-0 setback.
* On Saturday at home against Loyola, Smith faced 25 shots and made seven saves to keep them out of the net for his fifth shutout of the season and the 20th of his career.
PATRIOT LEAGUE MEN’S SOCCER ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Yiannis Panayides, Lafayette, Fr., M, Larnaca, Cyprus/American Academy
* Panayides netted the second goal of the game, fed to him by Marcos Kitromilides, for the Leopards in their 3-0 victory over Colgate on Saturday.
* The goal was his fourth of the season and helped lead the Leopards to their sixth straight victory at home, keeping them perfect in Easton so far this season.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Keenan O’Shea, Army West Point, Sr., F, Chesterfield, Va./Cosby
* O’Shea scored Army West Point’s lone goal in the 1-1 draw against undefeated No. 19 Navy in the Army-Navy Cup VIII on Friday night.
Patrick O’Hara, Bucknell, So., F, South Hero, Vt./South Burlington
* O’Hara netted the game-winning goal against Holy Cross in double overtime off a header for his third goal of the season.
Ryan Goncalves, Lafayette, Sr., M, Dix Hills, N.Y./St. Anthony’s
* Goncalves collected his fifth goal of the season as he scored the first goal of the game on Saturday in the team’s 3-0 win over Colgate.
Marcos Kitromilides, Lafayette, So., F, Nicosia, Cyprus/Presbyterian College
* The sophomore had a hand in all three of Lafayette’s goals tallying three assists in the 3-0 win over Colgate.
Alex Sutton, Lafayette, So., GK, New York, N.Y./High School for Math, Science, & Engineering
* In the 3-0 win versus Colgate, Sutton made six saves and let none pass for his sixth shutout of the season and 11th of his career.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.