LINK: SoCon Men's Soccer Players of the Week Announced

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Senior midfielder Keaviano Francis of the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team was named The Southern Conference (SoCon) Defensive Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday afternoon. 

Hailing from East London, South Africa, Francis scored UNCG's lone goal of the game in a 1-1 draw with West Virginia on Aug. 28 in 67 minutes of action. Sparking a counterattack from around midfield, the transfer from Marshall played Lasse Dahl through on the left wing before smashing home the Dane's pass at the top of the 18-yard box against the Mountaineers.

Through his first three games with the Spartans, Francis has logged 221 minutes and played a key role offensively for the Blue & Gold. He scored UNCG's final goal in the 4-1 win over VCU on Aug. 20 to notch his first points with the program, generating four shots during the match. 

"We're a team that's difficult to play against because of how together we are and our grittiness," Francis stated. "We've played well in our first three games, but we're going to continue to get better every single game moving forward."

Francis is the second Spartan to take home SoCon weekly recognition two weeks into the season, joining Trym Linberg after the sophomore was named the Defensive Player of the Week following UNCG's first two matches. Both are first-time recipients.

The Spartans are in Davidson, North Carolina, to take on the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. this evening before remaining on the road for a weekend matchup with Dayton on Sept. 5.