Martineau Leads Bears in All-SoCon Honors

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer men's soccer was heavily represented on the Southern Conference postseason ballot this year, led by Freshman of the Year, Player of the Year and All-SoCon Freshman Honoree, Trevor Martineau. Mercer Head Coach Brad Ruzzo was tabbed as the SoCon Coach of the Year for the second time since joining the league and third time overall. The league office announced the awards on Tuesday afternoon with Mercer leading the way with 14 honorees.

Martineau was joined on the All-SoCon First Team by Leo Toledo Jr., Roberto Arteaga, Ramario Thompson and Kareve Richards. The Bears placed Kobe Perez, Josh Harrison and JR DeRose on the All-SoCon Second Team, while Martineau, Jason Udom and Michael Ille round out the awards on the All-SoCon Freshman Squad.

Martineau leads the league in points (25), goals (9), game-winning goals (5) and ranks third in assists with seven. The Texas native was recently named SoCon Player of the Month for October, in addition to becoming the first freshman in league history to capture three player of the week honors. Martineau's five-game winning goals ranks ninth in the NCAA this season, with his fifth goal being the SoCon-title-clinching goal at Furman on Oct. 23. Martineau is just the second freshman in league history to win player of the year, joining Thompson Usiyan of Appalachian State (1977).

Toledo Jr. has had a career season for the Bears, recording 20 points on the season to rank second in the league behind Martineau. Toledo Jr. finished the regular season with six goals and eight assists, both of which are career highs for the redshirt-sophomore. The Georgia native is tied atop the SoCon leaderboard in assists with fellow teammate Roberto Arteaga. This is the second season that Toledo Jr. has been recognized by the conference, garnering All-Freshman honors last season.

Arteaga is also experiencing a career-best season for Mercer, tallying 16 points thanks to four goals and a SoCon-leading eight assists. All four of Arteaga's goals have come via the penalty kick mark, ranking Arteaga first in the NCAA in PK percentage. The Jonesboro, Ga., native has been instrumental in moving the ball around for Mercer in the midfield, creating numerous opportunities for the Orange & Black this season.

Ramario Thompson was named to the first team after notching 11 points as a defender. The Jamaica native finished the regular season with five goals and one assist, while anchoring a defensive unit that allowed held opponents to 19 goals on the season.

Kareve Richards rounds out the first team honorees, competing and starting in all 17 matches for the Bears. Richards is the second Mercer defender on the first team. This marks the second consecutive season that Richards has been honored, garnering All-SoCon Freshman Team a season ago.

Kobe Perez was slated with second team honors for Mercer, finishing the regular season campaign with 12 points on four goals and four assists, both of which are career bests for the senior midfielder. Perez has now accumulated 29 career points for Mercer and has garnered three postseason honors, including 2017 All-SoCon Tournament Team a season ago.

Josh Harrison makes his all-conference debut as the sophomore defender garnered a spot on the second team. As a defender, Harrison anchored a backline that allowed 1.12 goals per outing for the second fewest goals in the league. Harrison also contributed for four points off one goal and two assists.

JR DeRose made his impact on his first season as the everyday starter in goal for the Bears. DeRose finished the regular season with 65 saves, 19 goals allowed and four shutouts. In 1,583 minutes played, the Illinois native registered a save percentage of .774, good enough to jump onto the All-SoCon Second Team.

Jason Udom, Michael Ille and Martineau were placed on the All-SoCon Freshman Team. Udom finished the season with one goal in 12 matches, coming on strong in conference play for the Bears. Udom was responsible for controlling much of the midfield in SoCon play, proving to be a threat to opposing strikers. Ille finished the regular season schedule with three goals and one assist, ranking seventh on the squad in points with seven.

UP NEXT
The Bears (12-3-2, 5-1-0) will return to action on Friday at 3:30 p.m. to take on No. 5 seed UNCG (7-8-2, 2-2-2) in the SoCon Tournament semifinals in Johnson City, Tenn. Mercer defeated the Spartans 3-0 earlier in the season in Macon, Ga. This will be the second consecutive meeting in the SoCon Tournament between the two squads and third overall since the Bears joined the league in 2014.

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2018 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team
Player of the Year – Trevor Martineau, Fr., Mercer
Goalkeeper of the Year – Ben Hale, R-So., Furman
Coach of the Year – Brad Ruzzo, Mercer
Freshman of the Year – Trevor Martineau, Fr., Mercer

First Team
F Trevor Martineau, Mercer
F Leo Toldeo Jr., Mercer
F Bruno Andrade, ETSU
MF Cameron Woodfin, ETSU
MF Leeroy Maguraushe, UNCG
MF Roberto Arteaga, Mercer
MF Laurence Wyke, Furman
D Ramario Thompson, Mercer
D Kareve Richards, Mercer
D Kyle Nelson, Wofford
GK Ben Hale, Furman

Second Team
F Danny Barlow, ETSU
F Matteo Bennati, Belmont
F Emery May, Furman
MF Serge Gomis, ETSU
MF Kobe Perez, Mercer
MF Danny Kierath, Furman
D Dalton Souder, Furman
D Josh Harrison, Mercer
D Merveil Bilomba, ETSU
D John Luccesi, ETSU
GK JR DeRose, Mercer
GK Josh Perryman, ETSU

All-Freshman Team
Ares Marlonsson, Belmont
Daniel Twizer, Belmont
Niccolo Dagnoni, Belmont
Josh Perryman, ETSU
Jacob Garzon, Furman
Miles Fenton, Furman
Jason Udom, Mercer
Michael Ille, Mercer
Trevor Martineau, Mercer
Jacob Plannel, UNCG
Ethan Willie, Wofford
Shane Berson, Wofford
Broden Schull, VMI

Players Mentioned

Roberto Arteaga

JR DeRose

Michael Ille

Trevor Martineau

Kobe Perez

Kareve Richards

Ramario Thompson

Leo Toledo Jr.

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