Carlos Morales

Men's Soccer 4/15/2021 10:08:00 AM by Rob Knox, Associate AD for Strategic Communications

From Ghana To Greensboro: Hagan Is Driven To Succeed

Men's Soccer 4/15/2021 10:08:00 AM by Rob Knox, Associate AD for Strategic Communications

From Ghana To Greensboro: Hagan Is Driven To Succeed

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The emotional departure drives Emmanuel Hagan. It reminds him of his purpose.

"My family was with me at the airport," Hagan said earlier this week following a practice. "I cried because I didn't know what was ahead of me. It was hard from the beginning because I was leaving my family. It was hard. It's about staying focused, being true to yourself, and staying disciplined to achieve what you want.

"My family has always been my number one priority since I was a kid. I was motivated to play soccer because of my dad. Even those times when I didn't want to play, he was like you have to wake up. My family has always been behind me. I am doing the right thing and working hard because I want to make them proud one day."

The UNC Greensboro freshman defender from Accra, Ghana has already done that. The humble Hagan has accomplished plenty in his first year as a Spartan.

He was named to the All-Southern Conference First Team, one of five UNCG players to receive postseason conference recognition.

"It's eye-opening," Hagan said of the recognition. "I am confident on the field. I believe if you stay focused, do your work, and make sure the team is in the right place, that's how you get recognized. Defending is a collective thing and it's not about me," Hagan said. "It's about the team. We have an amazing group here. When I came here, I loved everything about the team and the coaching staff."

More importantly, Hagan and the Spartans are playing for the Southern Conference championship as they host Belmont Saturday night. Saturday's winner earns the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This is the Spartans' fourth consecutive appearance in the SoCon championship contest and 14th in program history.

The Spartans defeated Belmont, 3-2, in overtime on March 27. In the previous four meetings against Belmont, each game was decided by one goal and three of the contests went into overtime.

"We always had a dream to achieve this goal this season, but it was unfortunate we couldn't win the regular season," Hagan said. "We fought hard. We've worked so hard to get to this point and we are so excited for Saturday. I was so confident as a freshman thanks to my coaches. They gave me that confidence and always had my back to help me."

Hagan has teamed with Matthew Cutler, Ethan Conley, and Myson Darden to form a solid Spartan defense that competes with tenacity and passion.

Since arriving in America in 2018, Hagan enjoyed success at Montverde Academy in Orlando, Florida. A chiseled 6-foot, 4-inch force, Hagan is a graduate of the SIMA Gold program under coach and co-founder, Mike Potempa.

He's keyed a solid Spartan defense that's allowed three goals over the last five games. Those consistent performances have kept a smile on the face of UNCG men's soccer head coach Chris Rich.

"He is elite due to the combination of his physical qualities and his ability in possession," Rich said. "He has all the physical qualities that you could ever ask for in a center back, but also has incredible technique and is comfortable on the ball. He is a high-level center-back, and an incredible human being. He has brought an unconditional commitment to our program's core values and standards, but also high-level performances in our games."

Hagan, who plans to major in sociology, combines physicality and finesse to slow down opposing offenses. He also enjoys the cerebral approach to playing defense as he understands that he's one piece of an important machine.

As the Spartans prepare for another playoff matchup with Belmont, Hagan's gameday mood will be set by Ghanaian musical artist Shatta Wale.

"I always have his playlist on and sometimes when I wake and play songs and life which I can relate to," Hagan said. "Going into this game, we will need to have the right energy from the start so that we can achieve our goal."

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Players Mentioned

#3 Ethan Conley: D; 5' 8"; Sophomore

#19 Matthew Cutler: D; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Myson Darden: D; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#27 Emmanuel Hagan: D; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#3 Ethan Conley
: 5' 8"; Sophomore
: D

#19 Matthew Cutler
: 5' 10"; Junior
: D

#4 Myson Darden
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: D

#27 Emmanuel Hagan
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: D

Schedule

Players Mentioned

Players Mentioned