Santamaria Named To Top Drawer Soccer National Team Of The Week

MACON – Mercer midfielder Carlos Santamaria has been named to Top Drawer Soccer's Men's Team of the Week, the publication announced this morning.

Santamaria posted four points last week to help the Bears to a win and a draw. Against Winthrop on Tuesday, Santamaria opened the scoring, slotting home a penalty kick goal in the 10^th minute. A few minutes later, Santamaria helped the Bears extend the lead, playing a beautiful ball downfield for Barzee Blama to score, picking up an assist. Mercer would go on to win 4-0.

On Saturday's regular season finale against Furman, Santamaria again played a key role in helping the Bears get on the scoreboard. In the 22^nd minute, he took a free kick from the attacking third and found Kadeem Agard on the back line, who headed the ball in front of the goal for Sekou Agard to put in the back of the net. In addition to the assist, Santamaria put a shot on goal in the contest.

Santamaria has been a cornerstone of the Mercer attack this season, leading the team and ranking seventh in the SoCon with 13 points. His three goals are good for third on the team, while his seven assists are the most of any Bear and tied for the most in the SoCon. Santamaria is also tied for the team lead in shots with 32.

Since transferring to Mercer from Oral Roberts ahead of the 2023 season, Santamaria has been a mainstay in the Bears' lineup, playing in all 38 games with 37 starts. He has played over 2,800 minutes since arriving in Macon, posting 25 points. The Dallas, Texas native was a preseason all-conference selection ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Santamaria spent the 2022 season at Oral Roberts and was named to the All-Summit League First Team and Summit League All-Newcomer Team after scoring five goals. He began his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College, where he was named Region XI Defensive MVP and All-Tournament Team and helped the Reivers win the NJCAA Division I National Championship.

Santamaria is the second Bear to earn national team of the week honors this season - the first being Kadeem Agard on October 15.

Santamaria Named To Top Drawer Soccer National Team Of The Week

Players Mentioned

Kadeem Agard

Sekou Agard

Barzee Blama

Carlos Santamaria

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