Men's Soccer Puts Program-Record Six on NAIA All-America Team
Marshall, Mo., (Dec. 16, 2024)- The Missouri Valley College men's soccer team has set a new program-record with six selections to the 2024 NAIA Men's Soccer All-America Team, released Monday.
Three individuals were named first team All-Americans for their play during the season. Senior Forward Sam Green (London, England), Senior Midfielder Yoshiki Igarashi (Tokyo, Japan) and Senior Defender Kazuki Hashimoto (Yokohama, Japan) were all recognized.
Hashimoto becomes the program's first-ever four-time All-American, after earning his second-straight first team honor following a season where he scored three goals with four assists and anchored the backline that posted nine shutouts and a .77 goals against average. Hashimoto was also an honorable mention All-American in both 2021 and 2022.
Green finishes his career at Missouri Valley as a three-time first team All-American, the first in program-history. Green led the team with 17 goals and 38 total points, which included four assists and four game-winning goals. Green also became the program's all-time points leader this season, finishing with 130 points in his career.
Igarashi is now a two-time All-American, after earning third team honors last season. Igarashi led the midfield and produced a team-high seven assists, to go with five goals, and finish the season at 17 points.
Two other Vikings were second team All-American selections. Senior Defender Jacob Adams (Nottingham, England) and Junior Goalkeeper Cristobal Benitez Delgado (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) each earned All-American recognition for the first time in their respective careers. Adams scored two goals and added one assist as the defensive leader, and helped in producing the nine shutouts on the season. Benitez Delgado finished with a .82 goals against average, making 69 saves and playing in six of the shutouts.
Senior Midfielder Tate Richards (London, England) was named a third team All-American, and finishes his career as a two-time All-American, including a second team choice in 2023. Richards scored one goal and added three assists during the season.
In addition to the All-American honors, Green was named the Heart Player of the Year and Hashimoto was the Heart Defensive Player of the Year. Plus Green, Hashimoto, Igarashi, Adams, Benitez Delgado and Richards were first team all-conference selections this season.
The men's soccer team finished with a 16-3-3 overall record, and a 9-0-2 record in the Heart. Missouri Valley captured a third-straight Heart regular season title, and advanced to the third round of the 2024 NAIA Men's Soccer National Championship, playing at the tournament's National site for the eighth-straight season. The previous record for most All-Americans in one season for the program was four, in both the 2023 and 2020 seasons.
All-America 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.