Five Bears Earn All-Conference Recognition

MACON – The Mercer men's soccer team placed five players on SoCon all-conference teams, highlighted by Carlos Santamaria and Sekou Agard earning first team honors, as voted on by the league's coaches. Trevor McMullen and Barzee Blama received second team nods, while Aaron Pondeca earned a spot on the all-freshman team.

Carlos Santamaria earned first team all-league honors for the second time in his career and the first time in the Southern Conference. The senior midfielder has been a catalyst of the Mercer attack this season, leading the team with 13 points. He has scored three goals and is tied for the SoCon lead with seven assists. Santamaria was named to Top Drawer Soccer's national team of the week on Tuesday after a four-point week that included a goal and two assists. 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. The Dallas, Texas native was a preseason all-conference selection ahead of the 2024 campaign. Santamaria was an All-Summit League First Team selection in 2022 and helped Iowa Western Community College to the NJCAA Division 1 National Championship in 2021.

Sekou Agard earns All-SoCon First Team honors for the second consecutive season, adding to an already impressive trophy case. Agard has been one of the finest defenders in the country this season, having been ranked as the nation's 38^th best player in Top Drawer Soccer's midseason top 100 players rankings. In addition to anchoring a Mercer defense that has posted nine shutouts the season, the senior has enjoyed a career year offensively, as his career-high five goals this season are tied for the team lead. He has been extremely efficient in his offensive production, scoring five times on only 12 shots. The Snellville, Ga. native was a preseason all-league pick ahead of the 2024 season and was twice named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week this year. Agard was named all-conference first team, SoCon Tournament Most Outstanding Player, and United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team a year ago and was an All-SoCon Second Team pick in 2022.

Trevor McMullen has been selected to the All-SoCon Second Team for the second time in his career after posting a career-high eight shutouts in the regular season. The senior is tied for third in the country in clean sheets and spent a chunk of the season as the nation's leader in the category. His 0.81 goals allowed average was the best mark in the SoCon during the regular season, while his .787 save percentage was third in the league. McMullen was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Week three times this season, the most of any player in the conference. Having served as Mercer's primary goalkeeper since 2021, he ranks second in program history with 21 career shutouts. In addition to his two second team all-league nods, the native of Decatur, Ga. was a SoCon All-Tournament Team pick in 2023 and a preseason all-conference selection prior to the 2024 campaign.

Barzee Blama has followed up his 2023 SoCon Freshman of the Year season with a strong sophomore campaign that earned him second team all-conference honors for the second time. Blama is tied for the team lead with five goals this season and finished the regular season second on the team with 12 points. His five goals are tied for the fifth-most in the SoCon. Blama leads the Bears with 15 shots on goal this year and is tied for the team lead with 32 shots. The native of Snellville, Ga. was a preseason all-conference pick ahead of the 2024 campaign and was named to the SoCon All-Tournament Team and College Soccer News All-Freshman First Team in 2023.

Aaron Pondeca represents Mercer on the SoCon All-Freshman Team after playing in 16 regular season games and making three starts in his first collegiate season. The only freshman to see action for a veteran Mercer squad, Pondeca has played 452 minutes on the season, including a season-high 57 against third-ranked North Carolina in a match that also saw him make his first career start. The native of Dallas, Texas has put up five shots this year and started the last two matches for the Bears.

The Bears open SoCon Tournament play on Friday, taking on fourth-seeded Furman in Greensboro, N.C. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at UNCG Soccer Stadium.

SoCon Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year - Yoshiya Okawa, Sr., MF, UNCG
Goalkeeper of the Year - Aaron Salinas, So., Furman
Coach of the Year - Allen Vital, ETSU
Freshman of the Year - Issah Haruna, MF, UNCG

First Team
F - Gabriel Ramos, ETSU
F - Christian Kraus, Furman
F - Arnaud Tattevin, UNCG
MF - Carlos Santamaria, Mercer
MF - Jack Birch, UNCG
MF - Yoshiya Okawa, UNCG
MF - Paul Jones, Wofford
D - Ivan Agyaakwah, Furman
D - Slade Starnes, Furman
D - Sekou Agard, Mercer
GK - Aaron Salinas, Furman

Second Team
F - Wilfer Bustamante, Furman
F - Lloyd Wamu Snell, Furman
F - Barzee Blama, Mercer
F - Enzo Dovlo, UNCG
MF - Luke Hutzell, Furman
MF - Issah Haruna, UNCG
MF - Jakob Andersson, Wofford
D - Louie Salkeld, ETSU
D - Daniel Longo, UNCG
D - Bryce Peacock, Wofford
GK - Trevor McMullen, Mercer

All-Freshman
Oliver Einarsson, MF, ETSU
Ulysses Hendriks, MF, ETSU
Ingvar Kolbjornsen, MF, ETSU
Wilfer Bustamante, F, Furman
Luke Hutzell, MF, Furman
Ryan Wagner, D, Furman
Aaron Pondeca, F, Mercer
Issah Haruna, MF, UNCG
Mohammed Sumaila, D, UNCG
Anthony Huang, F, VMI
Leo Ledin, GK, Wofford
Kalle Rahbek, MF, Wofford

Players Mentioned

Sekou Agard

Barzee Blama

Trevor McMullen

Aaron Pondeca

Carlos Santamaria

Footer