Payton and Gonçalves sweep SAC weekly soccer honors
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Sophomore midfielder Alex Payton and senior defender Igor Gonçalves earned WePlayed Sports South Atlantic Conference (SAC) men's soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday afternoon.
Payton earned his second straight Offensive Player of the Week honor and third of the season by scoring three goals, including two game-winners.
The sophomore applied heavy pressure in Catawba's 2-1 comeback victory at Lincoln Memorial by firing five shots, three on target, including the game-winning goal in the 63rd minute on Tuesday. The midfielder opened the scoring on Saturday by netting the first goal in the 25th minute and another in the 72nd as the Catawba Indians rolled past Carson-Newman 3-0 on Senior Night. Payton leads the SAC with nine goals on the season and is tied for first in NCAA Division II with six game-winners.
Gonçalves earned his first Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season by leading the back line in two quality performances.
The senior played all 90 minutes in Tuesday's win at LMU and added four shots, including one on goal. On Saturday, the senior went the distance again as the defensive unit allowed just five shots on goal in the shutout win against Carson-Newman to remain unbeaten on the season with just one match remaining.
Catawba (12-0-2, 8-0-1 SAC) stayed ranked first in the NCAA Division II Super Region 2 men's soccer NCAA Power Index (NPI) Rankings and jumped to number three in the country in the third rankings release on Monday morning.
The Catawba men's soccer team will close the regular season on Wednesday, October 28th, at 5 p.m. when it hosts Coker at Frock Field, with a chance to earn a SAC regular season championship.
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