2 minute read
MEN'S SOCCER
Men’s Soccer breaks records
It was a season and team for the record books: The Panther Men’s Soccer team earned the regular-season conference championship, double-digit wins, an unbeaten record in the conference, its first conference tourney win—and Coach and Player of the Year.
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The 2022 soccer season reached new heights for the Panther Nation. But not everyone was surprised, including Head Coach Ryan Dickson.
“The season was not totally unexpected, as we had moments the past few years where we fell a bit short,” he said. “The moment we knew that we deserved to be at the top was the 3-2 result over Covenant.”
That October win was a historic one for the program—a first against the Scots, a team that came into the contest regionally ranked. And it was a win that showed the grit of this year’s Panther team.
Senior Blake Webb calls it a “season highlight.”
“It was the first time we had beaten them in program history, and most importantly, it brought belief into the team that we could go on to win it all.”
Webb led the team in assists with 11 and tied for second in points with 19.
Senior Enrique Hernandez points to the season championship as his personal highlight.
“Winning the regular season has to top it off because it’s our first in school history,” he said.
Hernandez broke several school records during the season, becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer in both goals (42) and points (98). With 21 goals and 50 points this year, he also was consistently among the top three scorers in all of Division III.
As fate would have it, the season ended with a 2-1 loss against Covenant in the conference tournament final at a packed Panther Field. But both Webb and Hernandez say they’ll be back next year to take the team all the way.
“There’s only one thing left to do,” Hernandez said. “That is lead our team to win the conference playoffs and make it to the NCAA national playoffs.”
In November, Hernandez was named to the 1st Team of the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Team, and Webb was named to the 3rd Team.
