Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
WACO, Texas — Eastern New Mexico may have fallen short of the Heartland Conference men’s soccer playoffs, but it isn’t leaving the season emptyhanded.
In their final season with the Heartland as a soccer-only school, the Greyhounds got their first three postseason team selections in program history.
Sophomore midfielder Gabriel Peres was named to the first team, while freshmen forwards Aderi Arthur-Dede and Julian Trapp received second- and third-team honors, respectively, according to a release Thursday from the conference office.
Arthur-Dede, who led all freshmen with seven goals, was also the Heartland’s freshman of the year.
The Heartland will disband after this season, with nearly every school heading to the Lone Star Conference.
Peres led the Greyhounds with 56 shots, and was ninth with 2.56 shots per game. He scored six goals and handed out three assists.
Trapp only played 11 games due to injury, but grabbed attention with four goals — including a game-winner in a key late-season game against St. Edward’s — and two assists.
Pato Botello Faz of St. Mary’s won both the top player and top offensive player awards, while Rory O’Keeffe of Midwestern State was the defensive player of the year. Michael Meachum of MSU was named coach of the year after the Mustangs went 12-1-1 in conference play.
The Mustangs had a league-high nine selections, with O’Keeffe one of first-teamers. West Texas A&M had seven selections, including five first-teamers.
The Greyhounds finished the season 8-6-2 for their first winning season since 2014, and fell one game short of a playoff berth.
