LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In exclusive voting by the league’s head soccer coaches, Luis Green of Texas Lutheran University was selected 2020-21 SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, the third consecutive season he has earned the honor, while Trinity University’s Jacob Galan was tabbed as SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release
In that same balloting, University of St. Thomas’ Ian Alvarez earned Newcomer-of-the-Year honors while Centenary College’s, Kyle Symczak, was named SCAC Coach-of-the-Year.
A junior forward from Monterrey, Mexico, Luis Green is the first athlete in men’s soccer history to win three-straight Player-of-the-Year honors and joins Rhodes’ Neil Brunetz as the only other three-time winner. Despite a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Green continued the torrid pace to his career, leading the conference in nearly every offensive category and resuming his climb in the record books among some of the league’s all-time greats. Playing in just nine games, Green led the SCAC in points (26), goals (11), points-per-game (2.89), goals-per-game (1.22), game-winning goals (3), shots on goal (21) and finished third in assists with four. A two-time SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Week during the season, Green tied a TLU men’s soccer record for goals scored in a match with four in the Bulldogs’ 5-1 conference road win over Schreiner on March 27th.
Historically, his 1.22 goals-per-game is the sixth best single season performance in conference history and the highest since Brunetz averaged 1.28 GPP in 1996. His 2.89 points-per-game ranks third-best all-time in SCAC history, trailing only Oglethorpe’s Will Lukow’s seasons of 3.26 and 3.00 PPG back in 1992 and 1991. This year, Green became the first player in SCAC history to lead the league three straight seasons in points, points-per-game, and goals-per-game. He is also just the second athlete in SCAC history to lead the league in goals scored for three straight seasons, joining Trinity’s Josh Card, who accomplished the feat from 2000-2002. Through three seasons, Green has 49 goals in 48 games played for an SCAC all-time best 1.02 goals-per-game. His current career 2.23 points-per-game ranks second all-time in league history.
Green received eight votes in the balloting for Offensive Player-of-the-Year honors while senior forward Kiran Singh of Colorado College received the remaining first-place vote.
Jacob Galan, a junior defender, and captain for Trinity, spearheaded a group that finished second in the SCAC during conference play in both goals allowed (6) and goals against average (0.83) and allowed a league low 18 shots on goal. A San Antonio native, Galan helped bolster a defense that finished tied for third with two shutouts on the season en route to claiming the top-seed at the SCAC Tournament and an unbeaten record in regular season play. Galan was tasked with trying to slow down Luis Green in the Tigers 3-0 victory at home back on April 3rd. He limited the three-time Offensive Player-of-the-Year to just one shot and no points on the afternoon. It was one of only two matches Green was held without multiple shots and one of just three fixtures all year he was held off the scoresheet. Galan is the ninth Trinity player to earn Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors and the first since teammate Brady Johnston was recognized in 2018 .
Galan received five first-place votes in the Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection process, narrowly out-balloting senior defender Tom Hultsch of St. Thomas, who received three votes. Freshman goalkeeper Jack Viles of Southwestern picked up the remaining first-place vote.
Ian Alvarez, a first-year striker from Bellville, Texas, led all first-year players and St. Thomas with four goals (tied for third in the SCAC) and points with eight (tied for eighth in the SCAC) in leading the Celts to the program’s first-ever SCAC Tournament Championship fixture. Alvarez also finished tied for second in the SCAC with two game-winning goals on the season. His 0.36 goals-per-game average was best among first-year players and ranked him sixth across all players in the SCAC. Alvarez is the first player in program history to earn SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors.
Alvarez received five votes in Newcomer-of-the-Year voting while first-year goalkeeper Goncalo Pernas of Dallas finished with two votes and first-year midfielder Nathaniel Blake and first-year defender Alexander Ward of Colorado College each received one first-place vote.
In his fifth season at the helm at Centenary College, Kyle Symczak led the Gents to the program’s first-ever SCAC Tournament title following a remarkable run at home last month as Centenary became the first team in tournament history to lift the trophy after advancing out of the quarterfinal round. This year Symczak guided Centenary not only to the title, but its first appearance in the tournament since 2012, its first-ever SCAC Tournament win and the programs first men’s soccer title since 1990 as members of the NCAA Division I Trans America Athletic Conference (now the ASUN Conference). After posting an .122 win percentage through his first three seasons in SCAC play, Symczak has led his program to a .375 winning percentage in league action over the last two seasons. It marks a remarkable 25.3 percent jump in terms of win percentage in that span of time. The SCAC Coach-of-the-Year honor is the first for Symczak and the first for the Centenary men’s soccer program since joining the league prior to the 2012-13 academic year.
To view the entire 2020-21 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Team, click here.
