Men's Soccer

MVC Men's Soccer Weekly Notebook (Aug. 26)

ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its men's soccer weekly awards on Tuesday. UIC's Edouard Nys has been named the MVC Player of the Week and Bowling Green's Enzo Gil is the league's Defensive Player of the Week.

Conference News & Notes
  • Belmont’s 2-0 victory at Memphis marked the first win against the Tigers since 1997 and first-ever on the road.
  • UIC ranks 12th in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 3.50 goals per match, with the second-most shots recorded per contest at 28.0. The Flames are sixth in the country with their seven goals and 24 total points.
  • After inclement weather cancelled its first match of the season, Drake opened its 2025 campaign on Sunday with a 2-1 victory at Incarnate Word with a pair of first-half goals.
  • With a 1-0 victory at Green Bay on Monday, Northern Illinois handed the Phoenix their first home loss since September 30, 2023, snapping a 12-game home unbeaten streak.
  • The Western Michigan Broncos checked in at No. 20 in the United Soccer Coaches Preseason Poll.
  • Drake, Bowling Green and Western Michigan are the league’s preseason favorites according to a poll of The Valley’s eight head coaches.
  • Bowling Green’s Trace Terry was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List on August 21. The annual award is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year. He was also landed a spot on the United Soccer Coaches’ Forwards to Watch list.
  • Drake’s Eskil Gjerde and Western Michigan’s Christian Shannon were both mentioned on the United Soccer Coaches’ Defenders to Watch list, released on August 5.
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Edouard Nys, UIC, Jr., Midfielder - Dottignies, Belgium (Northeast CC)
Edouard Nys kicked off his UIC career in fine form last week, collecting two goals and an assist (five points) to help the Flames earn a pair of victories to begin the 2025 campaign. Nys scored twice in the opening 33 minutes of Sunday’s win over Eastern Illinois, becoming the only MVC player to score multiple goals during the first weekend of the season. He also set up Rui Reis’ clinching goal in the final minute of Thursday’s opener against Air Force. The reigning NJCAA Division II National Player of the Year, Nys registered 13 shots in two matches last week, with seven ending up on frame.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Enzo Gil, Bowling Green, Jr., Goalkeeper - Sao Paulo, Brazil (Lindenwood)
Enzo Gil recorded an .882 save percentage in his first week as a Falcon, stopping 15 of 17 shots on goal that he faced. Gil, a transfer from Lindenwood, tied his career high with seven saves in Bowling Green’s season opener vs. IU Indy. Three days later, in his second game of the season, Gil set a new career standard with eight stops vs. Butler. Gil currently leads The Valley in total saves and saves per game and ranks second in save percentage. Gil’s 15 total saves ranks second nationally in Division I.