Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Oct. 14)

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its men's soccer weekly award winners on Tuesday. For the fourth time this season, UIC's Edouard Nys has been tabbed the MVC Player of the Week, while Western Michigan's Christian Shannon has been named the MVC Defensive Player of the Week. 

Conference News & Notes
  • Drake is the last men’s soccer program in the Missouri Valley Conference to remain undefeated this season, sitting at 5-0-6 on the year. The Bulldogs are one of just eight unbeaten programs left in Division I.
  • Evansville leads The Valley standings with a 2-0-1 ledger and seven points. UIC and Northern Illinois are tied with five points apiece, while Belmont has four points in the league standings.
  • On Friday, UIC’s Edouard Nys was named to the 2025 Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List - the most prestigious award, having been presented annually since 1967, to the nation’s top player. Nys is the first UIC player to be named to the Hermann Trophy Midseason Watch List since 2019.
  • Nys leads the country in total points (31) and ranks second in total goals (13). He is the only player in Division I with at least 30 points while he is one of six with double-figure goals this season.
  • Evansville grabbed another clean sheet on Saturday at Drake, marking the first time since 1990 that the Purple Aces have started Conference play with three-straight shutouts. 
  • Belmont earned its fourth shutout of the season and first result against an ACC opponent since 2015 with a 0-0 draw at Louisville last Tuesday. 
  • Bowling Green’s Trace Terry is one of just 11 players in Division I with at least four game-winning goals this season, after netting the game-winner for the Falcons against Bradley. He ranks second in the league with eight total goals and 18 points, ranking inside the top 20 nationally in both categories.
  • Bradley goalkeeper Drew Berry ranks fifth in the country with 59 total stops this season. Belmont’s .830 save percentage as a team is the 14th-highest in Division I. 
  • UIC has the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation, averaging 2.58 goals per match. The Flames are second as a team in goals (31) while ranking third in assists (37) and points (99).
19952

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Edouard Nys, UIC, Jr., Midfielder - Dottignies, Belgium (Northeast CC)
Edouard Nys scored four of UIC’s six goals in two matches last week, posting back-to-back two-goal outings, including both scores in Sunday’s MVC road victory at Belmont. His game winner in the 83rd minute helped the Flames end the Bruins’ 13-match unbeaten streak. Nys also netted two goals in less than four minutes midway through the second half last Tuesday in UIC’s offensive slugfest with Marquette. For the season, Nys has 13 goals and 31 points, both ranking fourth on UIC’s single-season charts and standing as the most goals and points by a Flame since 2000.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Christian Shannon, Western Michigan, R-So., Defender - St. Joseph, Mich. (St. Joseph HS)
Western Michigan defender Christian Shannon scored a game-winning goal and helped the Broncos earn their first clean sheet of the season last week. With less than five minutes remaining in Wednesday’s match against Detroit Mercy, Shannon notched the game-winner, marking his first goal of the season and fourth of his career (all game-winners). The sophomore returned to the pitch on Saturday and added two more shots in a defensive effort that kept Northern Illinois to its second-lowest shot total of the season. The clean sheet against the Huskies marked the first shutout of the season by the Broncos.