ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Five members of the Tusculum University men's soccer team received All-Conference honors from the South Atlantic Conference coaches, the league office announced Wednesday.
Senior forward Henrique Devens was a first-team selection, with second team honors going to senior defender Georgios Charkoutsakis. Earning honorable mention status were senior midfielder Fabian Proesch, junior defender Clement Dagorn and junior defender Dani Gongora. As a group, they helped the Pioneers to a fourth-place finish in the SAC standings with a 5-3-2 conference record, and an overall record of 6-7-3.
Devens led the Pioneers with nine goals and five assists for 23 points in 14 games this season. The Aracruz, Brazil native had a streak of four consecutive matches with a goal from Sept. 18-28 and became the first Pioneer in 10 years to score a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Coker on Oct. 27. Devens scored a goal in seven of his 14 matches and had at least one point in nine different contests. He is the first Tusculum player to earn first-team All-SAC honors since Andre De Giorgi in 2016. In two seasons at Tusculum, Devens recorded 17 goals and six assists for 40 points in 35 matches, including three game-winning goals.
Charkoutsakis was named second-team All-SAC for the second straight season and the third time in his career, after being a preseason first-team selection. He started 15 matches and collected one assist, while helping the Pioneer defense hold all but one opponent to fewer than 10 shots on goal. The Heraklion, Greece native played every second for which he was eligible for the third time in his four years at Tusculum, and finished his career with six goals and five assists for 17 points in 67 career matches.
Proesch, who was second-team All-SAC last season and was a preseason first-team All-SAC honoree, played in all 16 matches and started the final 15, collecting assists on Devens' overtime goal at Newberry on Sept. 28 and in the 82nd minute of a 2-2 draw with Shaw on Oct. 9. The Toensberg, Norway native was deployed on corner kicks and free kicks for the Pioneers, and finished his Tusculum career with two goals and nine assists for 13 points in 68 matches.
Dagorn earned recognition on the postseason All-Conference team for the first time in his three seasons, after being a preseason second-team selection prior to this season. The native of Saint-Brieuc, France made 15 starts on defense and scored his first career goal in the Pioneers' 2-1 overtime win at Newberry on Sept. 28. Dagorn also had an assist in Tusculum's 2-2 draw with Shaw on Oct. 9. Dagorn appeared in 50 games and started 49 during three years at Tusculum, collecting a goal and four assists.
Gongora was the Pioneers' lone first-year starter on defense and had one assist in 16 matches, coming on a second-half goal against Lincoln Memorial on Oct. 16. The Malaga, Spain native was third on the team with 1,328 minutes played during the regular season, and was part of a unit that gave up 10 or fewer shot attempts eight times in 15 regular-season contests.
Tusculum has had at least five players on the All-Conference team five times in head coach Allen Vital's nine seasons with the Pioneers, including three times in the last four seasons. Since joining the SAC in 1999, Tusculum has had 82 All-Conference selections including 33 first-team honorees.
Paul Ngongo of Wingate was honored as both SAC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, with Defensive Player of the Year honors going to Kensho Yoshikoshi of Carson-Newman. Stephen Lyons of Carson-Newman was recognized as Coach of the Year, and Lincoln Memorial was presented the Fair Play Award.
2019 South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer All-Conference
First Team
F – Paul Ngongo, Wingate
F – Henrique Devens, Tusculum
F – Ibrahim Nadir, Newberry
F – Jacques Fokam-Sandeu, Coker
MF – Christian Provenzano, Coker
MF – Elliot Cutts, Wingate
MF – David Alvarez, Queens
MF – Mikkel Fahlen bruun, Wingate
D – Michael Hornsby, Queens
D – Kensho Yoshikoshi, Carson-Newman
D – Owen Marshall, Wingate
D – Alan Brandao, Lincoln Memorial
GK – Bram Kaarsgaren, Carson-Newman
Second Team
F – Victor Cascon, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Thaylan Silva, Carson-Newman
F – Harry Ward, Anderson
F – Caio Brandao, Queens
MF – Keegan Burton, Queens
MF – Danilo Seglio, Lincoln Memorial
MF – Will Sainsbury-Logan, Carson-Newman
MF – Nic Carsh, Carson-Newman
D – Georgios Charkoutsakis, Tusculum
D – Ryan Tyrer, Anderson
D – Sam Ottley, Newberry
D – Robi Obrstar, Coker
GK – Jens Bergendorff, Wingate
Honorable Mention
F – Goncalo Garcia, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Tobias Solem Karlsen, Carson-Newman
F – Sofian Maghouz, Carson-Newman
F – Alexander Cox-Ashwood, Anderson
MF – Boris Basara, Queens
MF – Fabian Proesch, Tusculum
MF – Hunter Stroble, Lincoln Memorial
MF – Ben Bielby, Catawba
D – Monoel Dos passos, Queens
D – Clement Dagorn, Tusculum
D – Jeppe Christensen, Mars Hill
D – Dani Gongora, Tusculum
GK – Sebastian Kalk, Queens
Offensive Player of the Year: Paul Ngongo, Wingate
Defensive Player of the Year: Kensho Yoshikoshi, Carson-Newman
Freshman of the Year: Paul Ngongo, Wingate
Coach of the Year: Stephen Lyons, Carson-Newman
Fair Play Award: Lincoln Memorial