HOUSTON, Texas – In exclusive voting by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, Chen Adjei of Trinity University was selected 2023 SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, while Colorado College’s Curtis Hale was tabbed as the SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year for the second consecutive season. Complete Release
In that same balloting, Jack Hillard of Colorado College earned Newcomer-of-the-Year honors while his head coach, Scott Palguta, and his two assistants Sean Elvert and Tomas Martinez were named SCAC Coaching Staff-of-the-Year.
A senior forward from Euless, Texas, Chen Adjei heads into this weekend’s SCAC tournament on the heels of orchestrating a career year, with single-season bests in goals (8), points (21), shots (52), shots on goal (22), game-winning goals (2), games started (15) and minutes played (1,075). His five assists are currently tied for a single-season career best. A three-time All-SCAC performer, Adjei elevates to the First Team for the first time in his career. A creative force in the attack, Adjei currently ranks second in the SCAC in shots, tied for third in assists, tied for fourth in points, sixth in shots on goal and tied for sixth in goals. Adjei’s selection as SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year represents the 11th time a Trinity student-athlete has won the award since the league started recognizing both an Offensive and Defensive Player-of-the-Year beginning in 2003.
Adjei received nine votes in the balloting for Offensive Player-of-the-Year honors while junior forward Daniel Castro of the University of St. Thomas followed closely with six first-place votes. Sophomore midfielder Oliver Ramirez of Colorado College received the remaining three first-place votes.
Curtis Hale, a junior defender from Richmond, Va., spearheaded a Colorado College defensive effort that found its stride during conference play. Hale and the Tigers head into the SCAC tournament after leading the league with a stout 0.38 goals against average in conference play and for the second-straight season have allowed the fewest goals with just three in eight conference fixtures. The CC Tigers also finished with a league-best six SCAC shutouts to bring their current total to seven. Hale, who also chipped in offensively with one goal, has started all 16 Tiger contests and leads the team with 1,424 minutes played on the season. Hale is just the second student-athlete in SCAC history to repeat as men’s soccer Defensive Player-of-the-Year, joining Trinity’s Kyle Altman who accomplished the feat back in 2006 and 2007.
Hale received nine first-place votes in the Defensive Player-of-the-Year selection process, narrowly out-balloting senior midfielder Jack Manke of Texas Lutheran, who received eight votes. Senior Pieter Blank of Trinity picked up the remaining first-place vote.
Jack Hilliard, a first-year midfielder from San Antonio, Texas, made an immediate impact for Colorado College, starting all 16 fixtures for the Tigers to open his collegiate career. He is one of just five CC field players to log over 1,000 minutes and enters this weekend’s SCAC Tournament tied for first among all rookies with three assists and second among all first-year’s in both goals scored (four) and total points (11).
A creative attacking player that can manufacture his own shot, Hilliard struck for his lone game-winning goal in a key 2-1 victory over TLU back on October 15th, which helped CC secure the SCAC regular season title. Hilliard is the sixth player in program history to earn SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, and the first since Griffin Meyer took home the award following the 2019 season.
Hilliard received an impressive 13 votes in the Newcomer-of-the-Year voting, while first-year forward Daniel Flores of St. Thomas and first-year defender Luke Mayfield of Trinity received four and one vote, respectively.
In his ninth season at the helm at Colorado College, Scott Palguta led the Tigers to the program’s second SCAC regular season title and first perfect unbeaten and untied record in conference play (8-0-0). The perfect SCAC regular season mark is the first by any league squad since 2014. CC, currently ranked No. 16 in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll and No. 1 in the most recent Region X rankings, will be the top seed at this weekend’s conference tournament with an overall mark of 13-2-1. Palguta, who surpassed 100 career wins at CC earlier this season, currently sports a 105-35-19 career coaching mark, placing him second all-time among SCAC men’s soccer coaches (with five or more years) in winning percentage (.720). He is currently fourth all-time in conference wins with 73 and his .798 conference winning percentage (73-14-12) ranks second all-time. The SCAC Coaching Staff-of-the-Year honor is the second under Palguta, previously taking home the accolade in 2019.
To view the entire 2023 All-SCAC Men's Soccer Team, click here.
