2022-23 Men's Soccer Players of the Week
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Everett McCloskey, Virginia Wesleyan, So., Midfielder
October 31, 2022McCloskey, a sophomore from Douglassville, Pa., scored a pair of big goals over the Marlins regular season finale and their quarterfinal contest in the ODAC Tournament. In a 2-1 victory over Bridgewater to close the regular season and wrap up the #3 seed in the ODAC postseason, McCloskey scored the opener in 30th minute. He finished off a cross Ryan Taing via a sharp-angle shot to give Virginia Wesleyan a 1-0 lead that would carry into halftime. McCloskey's second goal of the week was much more dramatic as he scored the game-winner with just 41-seconds left in the second overtime period in the Marlins 2-1 win over Randolph-Macon in the ODAC quarterfinals. A cross from the right wing missed everyone before finding McCloskey 15 yards outside the back post. He took one touch to collect and hammer a shot back across goal for the winning tally. For the season, McCloskey has registered 13 points on five goals and three assists. -
Samuel Bass, Washington and Lee, Sr., Midfielder
October 24, 2022Bass, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., collects his first ODAC weekly award of the season after leading the nationally 11th-ranked Generals to a pair of conference wins. Washington and Lee is now unbeaten in 15 straight matches (11-0-4), the second longest streak in program history. Bass factored in two important goals for W&L. He provided the assist on the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Randolph during the midweek. Bass and Michael Kutsanzira worked a perfect quick restart on the first corner of the game with Bass setting up a long curling shot from his teammate in the eighth minute. Bass was on the scoresheet in the Generals second victory, a 3-1 result at Randolph-Macon. Matteo Adler ran on to a through-ball on the left side of the R-MC box. He passed across the six-yard box to an oncoming Bass, who one-timed the feed into the back of the net in the 22nd minute for the game's first goal. For the season, Bass is third in the ODAC in assists (5), eighth in points (15), and ninth in goals scored (5). He now ranks third in W&L history with 21 career assists, one shy of matching second place.
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Brennan Lagana, Lynchburg, Jr., Forward
October 17, 2022Lagana, a junior from Burlington, N.C., picks up his first ODAC weekly award of the season following a five-point week over the course of two conference victories for Lynchburg. The Hornets, ranked 16th by the United Soccer Coaches, are now 9-0-5 on the season with 19 points atop the ODAC table at 6-0-1 in league play. Lagana put his name on the scoresheet twice in a 3-1 victory over Randolph College. With the WildCats leading 1-0, Lagana sent a corner kick towards Zach Whelan, who headed it home to knot the score 1-1 in the 47th minute. Lagana then found the back of the net himself just eight seconds later as he took a through pass from Manzi Shalita and sent a low shot past the keeper for a 2-1 advantage. Shalita and Lagana again connected in a 2-0 victory over Roanoke. Shalita sent another through pass to Lagana, who finished with a left foot beyond the keeper for a 1-0 lead with 10:30 elapsed on the first half clock. For the season, Lagana is sixth in the ODAC in points (16), seventh in goals scored (5) and second in assists (6).
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Luke Mega, Lynchburg, Sr., Forward
October 10, 2022Mega, a senior from Glen Allen, Va., picks up his second straight ODAC weekly award after scoring three times in nationally 19th-ranked Lynchburg's 1-0-1 week against conference foes. Mega opened the scoring in a 1-1 draw with ninth-ranked Washington and Lee. He ran on to a one-touch pass from Brennan Lagana down the left channel, collected the lead-pass with a pair of touches before slotting it past the Generals' keeper with a left foot at the near post. Mega then scored both goals in a 2-0 victory at Ferrum. His first came 8:08 into the contest. After eluding a defender outside the left-post extended, he smashed a right-footed bender from 25 yards out off the inside of the right post and into the net. He made it 2-0 Lynchburg in the 31st minute by following up a save off a strike by Kenny Robles and one-timing it past a sprawled Panthers keeper. For the season, Mega leads the ODAC in points (27) and goals scored (12). He is also first in shots taken (36).
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Luke Mega, Lynchburg, Sr., Forward
October 03, 2022Mega, a senior from Glen Allen, Va., registered a six-point week and factored in four of Lynchburg's five goals in a 2-0 week against ODAC competition. The nationally 25th-ranked Hornets have now won three straight games -- all against league opponents -- and remain unbeaten at 6-0-4. Mega scored the game tying goal and dished out an assist on Lynchburg's third tally in a 3-1 victory at Shenandoah during the midweek. He converted a penalty kick to tie the game 1-all in the 24th minute, and then put a perfectly placed corner kick onto Carter Averette's head at the back-post in the 85th frame. In a 2-1 victory at Virginia Wesleyan, Mega assisted Liam Lovell on the game-tying goal in the 68th minute and then scored the game-winner in the 84th minute. With VWU leading, 1-0, since the 18:31 mark, the scoring drought ended with Mega's low cross from the right wing to the middle of box. Lovell, from the penalty spot, continued the ball's progression and tucked a ground shot inside the far post. Mega's winning goal came off a right wing throw-in. After a flicked-on ball made it through traffic and traveled back towards the top of the box at the far post, Mega retreated to collect it and, with his back towards the goal, whipped a right-footed effort back at the front post through traffic and beyond the keeper. For the season, Mega leads the ODAC in points (21) and goals scored (9).
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Juan Tovar, Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., Forward
September 26, 2022Tovar, a junior from Stephenson, Va., helped the Marlins kickoff the ODAC portion of their schedule with a pair of victories to keep Virginia Wesleyan atop the conference standings with a 2-0 league mark and 7-1-1 overall record. Tovar played a key role in three of VWU's four goals in road wins at Averett University and Roanoke College. Against the Cougars, Tovar spotted the Marlins to a 2-0 lead -- the eventual final score -- with a pair of goals inside the opening 6:29 of the contest. His first came at the 1:41 mark when he lofted a floater over the keeper's head from just inside the far-left corner the box following an AU defensive miscue. Tovar tallied his second goal a few minutes later when he redirected a cross from the left wing with a right foot at the eight-yard box across the goal into the far-side netting. Virginia Wesleyan returned to the western-side of Virginia on the weekend and posted a late 2-1 win at Roanoke. With the Maroons leading 1-0 following a first-half tally, Tovar provided the assist on the game-leveler in the 84th minute. He eluded two defenders on the left wing with excellent footwork and put his cross on Nate Mitchell's head at the middle of the eight-yard box. The Marlins secured the game-winner 24 seconds before full-time to post the late victory. For the season, Tovar has racked up 10 points on four goals and two assists.
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Zakky Johnston, Hampden-Sydney, Fy., Midfielder
September 19, 2022Johnston, a first-year from Meherrin, Va., helped Hampden-Sydney to a 2-0-1 week to stay atop the ODAC standings (5-0-1) with a three-goal week. Following a 1-1 draw on the road at N.C. Wesleyan, Johnston struck twice in a 5-2 victory over Emory University in a game hosted by Washington and Lee. He put the Tigers ahead 3-0 in the 20th minute after turning John Alexander's pass into an assist. After the Eagles registered two goals to pull within one, Johnston again beat Emory's keeper for the sixth combined goal of the first half. He finished off a feed from Ethan Farmer in the 34th minute. Johnston again found the scoresheet in H-SC's 3-2 triumph over Oglethorpe University two days later at W&L. He and Pierce Boerner connected in the 32nd minute to give the Tigers a 2-0 advantage. For the season, Johnston is tied for fifth in the ODAC in points (8) and tied for fourth in goals scored (4).
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Teddy Westervelt, Randolph-Macon, So., Forward
September 12, 2022Westervelt, a sophomore from Philadelphia, Pa., helped Randolph-Macon to a pair of non-conference victories to improve the Yellow Jackets' record to 3-0-1 through their first four games. Westervelt scored his first goal of the season by finishing off a Grayson Woods assist just 2:21 into a 4-0 victory at Mary Baldwin University. He then registered his first collegiate multi-goal game with both of Randolph-Macon's goal in a 2-1 victory over Wisconsin Lutheran. He tied the game with an unassisted effort in the 14th minute, and then notched the eventual game-winner in the 21st minute, turning a Colton Howell feed into an assist. Through the first four games of the season, Westervelt has scored three goals with one assist for team-high seven points.
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Kenny Robles, Lynchburg, Sr., Midfielder
September 06, 2022Robles, a senior from Woodbridge, Va., registered six points to help Lynchburg kickoff the 2022 season with a win and a tie on back-to-back days over the weekend. Robles factored in both of the Hornets goals in a 2-2 draw with preseason fifth-ranked Messiah University. He provided the assist on Zach Whelan's game-opening score in the third minute. Then, just 53-seconds from full-time, Robles rescued a point for Lynchburg with the game-tying tally off a feed from Enrique Morales. Robles was again in on two goals as Lynchburg exploded for five goals in a 5-1 triumph over Pfeiffer University. He and Whelan again connected on the game's first score as he found Whelan's head off a corner just 1:00 in. Then it was Kenny's turn as headed home flicked-on header by Whelan from Brennan Lagana's long throw-in the eighth minute.
