SoCon Announces Major Awards and All-Conference Awards
 
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Sophomore J.C. Ngando, junior Niclas Wild, and Head Coach Chris Rich highlighted the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team Southern Conference (SoCon) All-Conference awards with three of the four major awards.

Along with Ngando being named SoCon Player of the Year, Wild being voted Goalkeeper of the Year, and Rich earning Coach of the Year, 12 from UNCG earned 13 Southern Conference (SoCon) All-Conference awards, announced by the league on Thursday.  

J.C. Ngando is the eighth from UNCG to be named SoCon Player of the Year, as Theo Collomb earned the recognition last year. This is also the seventh time in SoCon history that a school earned SoCon Player of the Year for more than one year.
Niclas Wild is the second student-athlete to be named SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year back-to-back years, along with ETSU's Jonny Sutherland in 2016 and 2017.

Chris Rich earns his second SoCon Coach of the Year award, receiving the accolade last year, as well. This is the seventh coach in SoCon history that has earned the honor back-to-back year. Rich is in his fourth season at the helm of UNCG, as he has combined for an overall record of 42-17-8, including back-to-back seasons of 10 or more wins. This season, Rich also led the Spartans to the program's ninth SoCon Regular Season title, second-straight title, and third title in four years. The Spartans' 4-0-1 record was the first time since 2004 (6-0-1) that the Blue & Gold have gone undefeated in SoCon play. Rich helped this years' team to seven United Soccer Coaches national rankings.

J.C. Ngando
SoCon Player of the Year
All-SoCon first team midfielder
Sophomore | Midfield | Paris, France

• Named 2021 SoCon Freshman of the Year, All-Conference first team, and All-Freshman Team.
• Leads team with 11 assists and 19 points
• Second on team with two game-winning goals
• Third Spartan with four goals
• Has started and played in 16 games this season for the Spartans
• 2-of-4 in penalty attempts
• Won SoCon Offensive Player of the Week twice
• Among the SoCon: 1^st in assists (11), 1^st in assists per game (0.69), 2^nd in points (19), 3^rd in game-winning goals (2), 4^th in shots (39), 4^th in points per game (1.19), 6^th in shots per game (2.44), 9^th in goals (4)
• Ranked among the nation: 3^rd in total assists, 4^th in assists per game, 47^th in total points, 60^th in points per game

Niclas Wild
SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year
All-SoCon first team goalkeeper
Junior | Goalkeeper | Berlin, Germany

• Named 2021 Goalkeeper of the Year
• Voted to 2020-21 SoCon All-Freshman Team
• Has started and played in 15 games between the posts
• Has had a career-best year, averaging 0.733 goals against
• Matched a season-best 11 goals allowed
• 32 saves
• 5 shutouts, bringing his career total to 18 which is third in UNCG history
• Won SoCon Defensive Player of the Week honors
• Among the nation: 19^th in goals against average, 39^th in shutouts, 46^th in goalie minutes, 80^th in save percentage
• Among the SoCon: 1^st in goals against average, 3^rd in save percentage, 3^rd in shutouts, 3^rd in shutouts per game, 6^th in saves, 6^th in saves per game

Ismail El Harchi
All-SoCon first team forward
Graduate Student | Forward | Santomera, Murcia, Spain

• First career All-SoCon Honor
• Started in 13 games and played in 15
• Leads the team with eight goals
• Third on team with three assists
• Tied for first on the team with 19 points
• Three game-winning goals
• Won SoCon Offensive Player of the Week twice
• Among the SoCon: 1^st in game-winning goals, 2^nd in points, 2^nd in points per game, 2^nd in goals, 2^nd in goals per game, 7^th in shots, 7^th in shots per game, 10^th in assists
• Among the nation: 2^nd in shot accuracy, 17^th in game-winning goals, 31^st in total goals, 37^th in goals per game, 44^th in shots on goal per game, 45^th in points per game, 47^th in total points

Emmanuel Hagan
All-SoCon first team defender
Junior | Defender | Accra, Ghana

• Third All-SoCon first team honor in career
• Voted to 2021 All-SoCon first team
• Selected to 2020-21 All-SoCon first team and All-Freshman Team
• Key piece of Spartans' back line as a center back
• Has scored one goal and tallied one assist for three points
• His goal this season was the eventual game-winning goal in a 5-1 victory over Coastal Carolina
• Assisted Spartans to six shutouts this season, which is second in the SoCon
• UNCG's 11 goals allowed and 0.69 goals against average is best in the conference

Marco Milanese
All-SoCon first team defender
5^th Year | Defender | Isernia, Italy

• Voted to 2021 All-SoCon first team
• Played in 16 games, starting in 15 of them
• Has scored one goal and two assists for four points
• Key piece of the Spartans' defense
• Won SoCon Defensive Player of the Week
• Assisted Spartans to six shutouts this season, which is second in the SoCon
• UNCG's 11 goals allowed and 0.69 goals against average is best in the conference 

Steven Hernandez
All-SoCon second team forward
All-SoCon freshman team
Freshman | Forward | Winston-Salem, North Carolina

• First career SoCon honors
• Played in 15 games, starting in 12 of them
• Second on the team with 5 goals
• Chipped in one assist
• Third on the team with 11 points
• Hernandez scored a hat trick in a 5-1 victory over Coastal Carolina
• This was the first hat trick since Theo Collomb scored three in a 7-0 shutout over VMI on September 25, 2021.
• He is the third Spartan under Head Coach Chris Rich to record a hat trick (Hernandez, Collomb, and Albert Pedra in a 3-1 win over ODU on November 2, 2019).
• Was named to College Soccer News Team of the Week
• Named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week

Marco Afonso
All-SoCon second team forward
5^th Year | Defender | Johannesburg, South Africa

• First career All-SoCon honor
• Scored four goals, tied for third on the team
• His six assists are second on the team
• His 14 points are second on the team
• Named to College Soccer News Team of the Week
• Among the SoCon: 4^th in assists, 4^th in assists per game, 7^th in points, 8^th in points per game, 9^th in goals
• Among the nation: 61^st in total assists, 93^rd in assists per game

Basile Marc
All-SoCon second team midfielder
Sophomore | Midfield | Lyon, France

• First career SoCon honor
• Played in 16 games, starting in 15
• Tallied three assists this season for three points
• Big part of UNCG's midfield and defense that has totaled six shutouts this season.

Ethan Conley
All-SoCon second team defender
Senior | Defender | Wheaton, Illinois

• First career SoCon honor
• Played in 16 games, starting in 12
• Scored one goal and one assist for three points this season
• Scored his first-collegiate goal as the game-winning goal to upset then-ranked No. 18 Clemson 2-1
• Won SoCon Defensive Player of the Week
• Key piece of the Spartans' defense
• Assisted Spartans to six shutouts this season, which is second in the SoCon
• UNCG's 11 goals allowed and 0.69 goals against average is best in the conference

Sami Lachekar
All-SoCon freshman team
Freshman | Defender | Metz, France

• First career SoCon honor
• Played in 15 games, starting in nine
• Key piece of the Spartans' defense as a center back
• Assisted Spartans to six shutouts this season, which is second in the SoCon
• UNCG's 11 goals allowed and 0.69 goals against average is best in the conference

Maddox Mallery
All-SoCon freshman team
Freshman | Defender | Keller, Texas

• First career SoCon honor
• Played in 16 games, starting in four
• Scored two goals with one assist for five points
• Tallied his first-collegiate point with an assist during a 5-1 win over Coastal Carolina
• Scored his first-collegiate goal in a 5-1 victory over High Point
• His second-collegiate goal was the eventual game-winning goal in a 2-0 shutout over Winthrop
• Assisted Spartans to six shutouts this season, which is second in the SoCon
• UNCG's 11 goals allowed and 0.69 goals against average is best in the conference

Colton Sessoms
All-SoCon freshman team
Freshman | Forward | Advance, North Carolina

• First career SoCon honor
• Played in 16 games, starting in four
• Scored two goals and tallied one assist for five points
• Recorded his first-collegiate goal in a 5-1 victory against UNC Asheville in the season and home opener
• Tallied his first multi-point game with a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win over High Point

UNCG went 11-1-4 overall this season and 4-0-1 in SoCon play. The Spartans are currently No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll and No. 3 in the South Region. They also are No. 15 in RPI, as well as No. 10 in the College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer polls.
 
In the nation, UNCG is sixth in won-lost-tied percentage (0.812), eighth in goal differential (25), 10^th in shot accuracy (0.495), 11^th in team goals against average (0.688), 14^th in total goals (36), 16^th in corner kicks per game (6.69), 19^th in total points (105), 20^th in scoring offense (2.25), 22^nd in points per game (6.56), 26^th in assists per game (2.06), and 26^th in shots on goal per game (6.50).
 
The Spartans who received the No. 1 seed and a first round bye in the 2022 SoCon Men's Soccer Tournament, will face the winner of No. 5 Wofford vs. No. 4 Furman on Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 p.m. at UNCG Soccer Stadium.

2022 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team 
Player of the Year – JC Ngando, So., MF, UNCG 
Goalkeeper of the Year – Cole Hunter, R-Sr., ETSU / Niclas Wild, Jr., UNCG
Coach of the Year – Chris Rich, UNCG 
Freshman of the Year – Nikolai Rojel, F, Wofford
 
First Team 
F Tarik Pannholzer, ETSU 
F Kieran Richards, ETSU 
F Ismail El Harchi, UNCG
F Nikolai Rojel, Wofford
MF Dylan Gaither, Mercer 
MF JC Ngando, UNCG
MF Jackson Wrobel, Wofford
D Henrik Guenther, ETSU 
D Emmanuel Hagan, UNCG 
D Marco Milanese, UNCG 
D Paul Jones, Wofford
GK Cole Hunter, ETSU 
GK Niclas Wild, UNCG 
 
Second Team 
F Kadeem Agard, Mercer
F Marco Afonso, UNCG
F Steven Hernandez, UNCG
MF Sebastian Reventlow-Mourier, ETSU 
MF Ousman Jabang, Mercer
MF Basile Marc, UNCG
D Dominic Foster, ETSU
D Sekou Agard, Mercer
D Ethan Conley, UNCG
D Jakob Andersson, Wofford
GK Trevor McMullen, Mercer
 
All-Freshman Team 
Jason Gun, D, ETSU
Slade Starnes, D, Furman
Fernando Arteaga, MF, Mercer 
Steven Hernandez, F, UNCG
Sami Lachekar, D, UNCG
Maddox Mallery, D, UNCG
Colton Sessoms, F, UNCG
Nikolai Rojel, F, Wofford
Nathan Childress, MF, Wofford
Jakob Andersson, D, Wofford
Zakaria Holmen, D, Wofford