Eight in men’s soccer receive honors

Greene County News

FAIRBORN — Eight members of the Wright State men’s soccer team were honored as the Horizon League announced its postseason awards on Monday.

Senior forward Peguy Ngatcha was selected as the Player of the Year and as the Offensive Player of the Year. He was joined on the First Team by senior forward Eric Lynch and senior defenders Jake Stovall and Kaique Fernandes. Sophomore midfielder Jackson Dietrich and junior midfielder A.J. Paterson were named to the Second Team while defender Austin Kinley was chosen to the All-Freshman Team.

Coach Bryan Davis rounded out the list of honorees as he was selected as the league’s Coach of the Year.

Ngatcha of Manchester, N.H. is tied for the league lead with 10 goals, and is second with 24 points. The Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10, he scored two goals in wins over Cincinnati, Illinois Chicago (UIC), and Northern Kentucky, with his other four goals coming against Portland, Duquesne, Oakland and Detroit Mercy. He also has four assists on the year versus Portland, North Carolina State, Cleveland State and Valparaiso.

Ngatcha, who was a First Team All-League selection in 2014 and 2015, joins Lynch (2014) as Raiders who have been named as the league’s overall Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

Lynch of Bellbrook was second on the team with six goals, six assists and 18 points. He is fourth in the league in assists and points, and tied for fifth in goals. Lynch scored game-winning goals against Duquesne, Eastern Illinois, Detroit Mercy and Valparaiso and also had goals versus UIC and North Carolina State. He also had two assists at Portland and one against Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Oakland and Valparaiso.

Named to the All-Freshman Team in 2013 and First Team All-League in 2014 and 2015, Lynch is second on the school’s all-time list with 30 assists.

Stovall of Centerville has been an important part of the Wright State defense this season that has allowed just 18 goals overall for a 0.96 goals against average and has been even more impressive in league, giving up only two goals for a 0.21 goals against average. Named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10, Stovall has also chipped in three assists offensively, two coming against UIC and one versus Cleveland State.

Fernandes of West Babylon, N.Y. along with his contributions on defense, has given the Raider offense a boost this season as he is third on the squad with three goals. He scored WSU’s lone tally in a 1-1 tie at no. 15 Virginia Tech on Oct. 11, had the game-winning goal against Cleveland State on Oct. 22 and had the team’s first goal versus Milwaukee on Oct. 29.

Dietrich of Las Vegas, Nev., who was last year’s Horizon League Freshman of the Year, leads the league this season with eight assists. He recorded two assists in the home opener against Duquesne and had one against Cincinnati, UIC, Northern Kentucky, Virginia Tech, Detroit Mercy and Milwaukee. He also posted one goal as he scored in the final minutes last Friday, Nov. 4 at Valparaiso.

Paterson of Key Largo, Fla. recorded two goals and three assists this season while appearing in 14 matches. After posting two assists in a win at Northern Kentucky and scoring a goal at North Carolina State, he played a part in both goals during a 2-1 win over Milwaukee that clinched the top seed for the Raiders in the league tournament, assisting the first and tallying the golden goal in overtime.

Kinley of Xenia started all but one match and contributed to the Raider defense allowing just 18 goals all season overall and only two in league play. Kinley’s selection marks the sixth consecutive year that Wright State has had at least one player named to the All-Freshman Team.

“The team this year, as a whole, has been a fun group to coach,” said Davis. “In my very biased opinion, all of them deserve individual recognition in one way or another. That being said, the men that were recognized all were very deserving of their award.”

“I can’t say enough about Peguy, Eric, Jackson and A.J. on the offensive side of the ball and Jake and Kai honestly have been phenomenal at center back,” added Davis. “Austin Kinley being added to the Freshman Team was also very deserving as he nearly played every minute this year for us.”

“If you ask the guys, however, what means the most right now is Thursday,” said Davis. “I am sure these men will be the first to want to get back to work today and focus on Thursday’s game.”

Davis, in his eighth season at the helm of the Raiders, directed the team to its first-ever regular-season league title this season, with the seven league wins being the most in program history. WSU also posted nonleague wins over Portland, Cincinnati, Duquesne and Eastern Illinois while tying no. 15 Virginia Tech on the road.

“To be named Coach of the Year is quite an honor,” said Davis. “It’s an award that speaks less about me and more about Wright State and its soccer program.”

Wright State, which is currently eighth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Great Lakes Regional poll, has won 35 matches over the past three seasons under Davis, 15 of those in league play. It is the first Coach of the Year award for the program.

Wright State (11-5-2, 7-1-1 Horizon) opens Horizon League Tournament play 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, as the no. 1-seed Raiders host a semifinal match. The finals are set for 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, again at Alumni Field, with the winner receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Photo courtesy of WSU Eight members of the Wright State men’s soccer team were honored, as the Horizon League announced its postseason awards. Named to the team were Peguy Ngatcha, Eric Lynch, Jake Stovall, Kaique Fernandes, Jackson Dietrich, A.J. Paterson, Austin Kinley and head coach Bryan Davis.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2016/11/web1_wsu.jpgPhoto courtesy of WSU Eight members of the Wright State men’s soccer team were honored, as the Horizon League announced its postseason awards. Named to the team were Peguy Ngatcha, Eric Lynch, Jake Stovall, Kaique Fernandes, Jackson Dietrich, A.J. Paterson, Austin Kinley and head coach Bryan Davis.

Story courtesy of Wright State University Athletics.