Men's Soccer Puts Seven on All-Conference Team, Two Award Winners & Coach of the Year
Marshall, Mo., (Nov. 6, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's soccer team has put seven of its student-athletes on the 2024 Heart of America Athletic Conference All-Conference Team for its play during the regular season. The team also captured two individual player awards, and one coaching award.
Leading the selections was Senior Forward Sam Green (London, England), who was named the Heart Player of the Year. Green, also a first team all-conference selection, was both the Heart Player of the Year, and Heart Offensive Player of the Year in 2022, and is a three-time first team all-conference player. During the regular season, Green led the team with 15 goals, three game-winning goals, and 34 points, adding four assists. Green also became the program's all-time leader in career points, with 126 points going into postseason play.
Senior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) was named the Heart Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career, also earning the award in 2023. Hashimoto becomes a four-time selection to the all-conference first team. So far this season, Hashimoto has recorded two goals and three assists, while playing for a defense that has allowed 13 total goals.
Four other Vikings were named to the all-conference first team, including Junior Goalkeeper Vicente Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain), Senior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan), Senior Midfielder Tate Richards (London, England) and Senior Defender Jacob Adams (Nottingham, England).
Benitez Delgado becomes a two-time first team selection, and finished the season with 53 saves and a 0.83 goals against average while helping the team to seven shutouts. Igarashi, a first team selection in 2023 and a second team selection in 2022, has four goals, five assists and 13 points on the season. Richards, a first team selection last season, has one goal and three assists. Adams, a second team selection in both 2022 and 2023, anchors a defense that has a .076 goals against average on the season, giving up 78 shots on goal.
Senior Midfielder Malik Hasanovic (Skopje, North Macedonia) was named the all-conference third team. A second team selection in 2022, Hasanovic finished the regular season with five goals and one assist.
Head Coach Vladimir Simic was also named the Heart Coach of the Year, winning the award for the fifth time in his career. Simic previously won the award in 2011, 2014, 2017 and 2023. Simic guided the team to an undefeated regular season Heart title, the first undefeated conference championship for the team since 2014, and fifth title of his career. The Vikings are 13-1-3 overall and finished conference play at 9-0-2.
"Winning the Heart with an undefeated record is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication," said Simic. "The Heart is the premier men's soccer conference in the NAIA. The Coach of the Year award is a significant honor that reflects the excellence of our coaching staff. This is a moment to celebrate and reflect on our efforts, but also to push forward as we prepare for the postseason."
The men's soccer team enters the Heart Postseason Tournament as the No. 1 seed, and hosts No. 8 seed Park (Mo.) in a quarterfinal game, tonight (Wednesday), at 7 p.m. The Vikings topped the Pirates back on Oct. 19, 1-0. By winning the Heart regular season title, Missouri Valley has clinched an automatic berth into the 2024 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, which begins later this month.
All-Conference Team-Click Here
About Missouri Valley College
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.