Will Bagrou Named NSCAA All-American
12/9/2016 2:35:00 PM | Men's Soccer
He becomes Mercer’s first men’s soccer All-American; SoCon’s first since 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Mercer junior forward Will Bagrou made program history Friday as he was named to the All-America Second Team by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Bagrou is the first Mercer men's soccer player to receive All-America honors, adding to an impressive week in which he additionally became the first player in program history to earn NSCAA All-South Region First Team honors.
The Dacula, Georgia, product is the first All-American from the Southern Conference since Wofford defender Forrest Lasso was named a third teamer by the NSCAA in 2014. The last time a SoCon player was named to the NSCAA second team was 2012 when Elon forward Chris Thomas and Furman defender Walker Zimmerman both earned honors.
"This is obviously a great moment for Will to earn this honor," said head coach Brad Ruzzo. "He's separated himself as one of the best forwards in the country over the last few years and this award verifies his hard work.
"This is the first men's soccer NSCAA All-American in our program, which is a testament to all the work our student-athletes put forth on a daily basis. Even though this is Will's award, he'd be the first to say this is a team award because of how his teammates helped him this season."
A MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and the SoCon Player of the Year, Bagrou totaled 20 points on eight goals and four assists while leading the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years. The striker's offensive work championed a Mercer unit that owned six of the 10 fastest goals scored by a SoCon player; Bagrou was responsible for two of the top-three (0:26 and 1:30).
The three-time All-SoCon First Team honoree additionally notched a pair of two-goal performances and two game-winning goals this fall. He is the SoCon's active career leader in points (63) and game-winning goals (9) while ranking second in assists (13) and third in goals (25).
Bagrou and the 10 other players to earn NSCAA All-South Region First Team honors Tuesday were all spread across the three All-America teams. Bagrou was one of eight to earn All-America second-team honors or better.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
2016 NSCAA NCAA Division I Men's All-America Teams
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
Bagrou is the first Mercer men's soccer player to receive All-America honors, adding to an impressive week in which he additionally became the first player in program history to earn NSCAA All-South Region First Team honors.
The Dacula, Georgia, product is the first All-American from the Southern Conference since Wofford defender Forrest Lasso was named a third teamer by the NSCAA in 2014. The last time a SoCon player was named to the NSCAA second team was 2012 when Elon forward Chris Thomas and Furman defender Walker Zimmerman both earned honors.
"This is obviously a great moment for Will to earn this honor," said head coach Brad Ruzzo. "He's separated himself as one of the best forwards in the country over the last few years and this award verifies his hard work.
"This is the first men's soccer NSCAA All-American in our program, which is a testament to all the work our student-athletes put forth on a daily basis. Even though this is Will's award, he'd be the first to say this is a team award because of how his teammates helped him this season."
A MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and the SoCon Player of the Year, Bagrou totaled 20 points on eight goals and four assists while leading the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 15 years. The striker's offensive work championed a Mercer unit that owned six of the 10 fastest goals scored by a SoCon player; Bagrou was responsible for two of the top-three (0:26 and 1:30).
The three-time All-SoCon First Team honoree additionally notched a pair of two-goal performances and two game-winning goals this fall. He is the SoCon's active career leader in points (63) and game-winning goals (9) while ranking second in assists (13) and third in goals (25).
Bagrou and the 10 other players to earn NSCAA All-South Region First Team honors Tuesday were all spread across the three All-America teams. Bagrou was one of eight to earn All-America second-team honors or better.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Soccer, please follow the Bears on social media at @Mercer_MSoccer (Twitter) and /MercerMSoccer (Facebook) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
2016 NSCAA NCAA Division I Men's All-America Teams
First Team
| Pos | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
| K | Alec Ferrell | Sr. | Wake Forest | Westlake, Ohio |
| D | Alex Crognale | Sr. | Maryland | Gahanna, Ohio |
| D | Reagan Dunk | Sr. | Denver | Dallas, Texas |
| D | Tomas Hilliard-Arce | Jr. | Stanford | Matthews, N.C. |
| D | Miles Robinson | So. | Syracuse | Arlington, Mass. |
| M | Ian Harkes | Sr. | Wake Forest | Fairfax, Va. |
| M | Jacori Hayes | Sr. | Wake Forest | Bowie, Md. |
| M | Tanner Thompson | Sr. | Indiana | Granite Bay, Calif. |
| F | Wuilito Fernandes | Sr. | UMass Lowell | Praia, Cape Verde |
| F | Julian Gressel | Sr. | Providence | Neustadt an der Aisch, Germany |
| F | Albert Ruiz | Jr. | Florida Gulf Coast | Barcelona, Spain |
| F | Gordon Wild | So. | Maryland | Cologne, Germany |
Second Team
| Pos | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
| K | Andrew Epstein | Jr. | Stanford | Fort Collins, Colo. |
| D | Tristan Blackmon | Jr. | Pacific | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| D | Tim Kubel | Jr. | Louisville | Stuttgart, Germany |
| D | Grant Stoneman | So. | Loyola University Chicago | St. Charles, Ill. |
| M | Christian Flath | Sr. | Rider | Rostock, Germany |
| M | Cam Lindley | Fr. | North Carolina | Carmel, Ind. |
| M | Napo Matsoso | Sr. | Kentucky | Louisville, Ky. |
| F | Will Bagrou | Jr. | Mercer | Dacula, Ga. |
| F | David Goldsmith | Sr. | Butler | Bristol, England |
| F | Foster Langsdorf | Jr. | Stanford | Vancouver, Wash. |
| F | Edward Opoku | So. | Virginia | Rye, N.Y. |
| F | Brian Wright | Sr. | Vermont | Ajax, Ont. |
Third Team
| Pos | Name | Class | School | Hometown |
| K | Alex Kapp | Sr. | Creighton | Westchester, N.Y. |
| D | Brandon Aubrey | Sr. | Notre Dame | Plano, Texas |
| D | Francis De Vries** | Sr. | Saint Francis (Pa.) | Venetia, Pa. |
| D | Wyatt Omsberg | Jr. | Dartmouth | Scarborough, Maine |
| D | Jo Vetle Rimstad | Sr. | Radford | Harestua, Norway |
| M | Jose Hernandez | So. | UCLA | Mexico City, Mexico |
| M | Paul Hoffmeister | Jr. | Utah Valley | Hilden, Germany |
| M | Adam Najem* | Sr. | Akron | Clifton, N.J. |
| F | Marcelo Acuna | Jr. | Virginia Tech | San Jose, Costa Rica |
| F | Guillermo Delgado*** | Sr. | Delaware | Tres Cantos, Spain |
| F | Niko Hansen | Sr. | New Mexico | Sacramento, Calif. |
| F | Chris Mueller | Jr. | Wisconsin | Schaumburg, Ill. |
Players Mentioned
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