CROCE NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK - JAGUARS HOST FIRST ROUND CCAC PLAYOFF GAME THUR 1 PM
ANDREA CROCE (Sophomore, Rome, Italy) NAMED PLAYER OF WEEK - JAGUARS HOST FIRST ROUND CCAC PLAYOFF GAME THUR 1 PM vs. IU Northwest Redhawks at the Sportsplex.
GSU's men's soccer is the 5th highest scoring team in the NAIA for 2024 - Croce is 7th in the country in goals scored (17) and Jaguar assists leader Diego Camarena leads the NAIA with 12 assists this year.
CHICAGO --- A pair of previous Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference men's soccer honorees, Governors State University's Andrea Croce (Rome, Italy) and Viterbo University's Ernesto Ascenzo (Lima Peru), have been matched up again for the final weekly awards of the 2024 season, the league office announced on Tuesday morning. The duo also claimed the selection two weeks ago.
Croce was honored as the CCAC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this fall after registering his highest scoring week of the year. The sophomore forward produced a pair of two-goal matches and added two assists, enabling the Jaguars to claim the league title.
Croce authored two goals and two assists in a 7-0 victory over Indiana University Northwest last Wednesday and then provided two of the team's goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-0 win against St. Ambrose University on Saturday.
Croce's 17 goals, 40 points and five game-winning goals this season all rank first in the conference, while his six assists place him fifth. He also sits seventh in the nation in goals scored.
Stretching its unbeaten streak to 12 matches (10-2-0), the Jaguars finished the regular season 12-2-4 overall. In the league, they went 8-0-2.
Producing his sixth and seventh shutouts of the season via 19 saves, Ascenzo secured his second CCAC Defensive Player of the Week award. The senior goalkeeper stopped an incredible 15 shots on goal in a 1-0 decision over Olivet Nazarene University on Saturday. Three days earlier, he recorded four saves in a 5-0 victory opposite St. Ambrose University.
Ascenzo ranks second in the conference with both his seven blankings and .829 save percentage.
The V-Hawks finished the regular season 6-5-4 overall and 5-1-4 versus league competition.
Other Offensive Nominees: Erik Morales (Judson), Anthony Derka (St. Francis), Joaquin Eichhorn (Viterbo), Cesar Lopez (Indiana Northwest), Ivan Perez (Trinity Christian).
Other Defensive Nominees: Marcal Salom Chandre (Governors State), Ruben Ledesma (Judson), Pablo Alvarez (St. Francis), Giorgos Christodoulou (Trinity Christian), Devun Collins (Indiana Northwest).
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