The SAA champion Oglethorpe men's soccer team took three of the four SAA postseason awards Tuesday and placed five players on the All-SAA First Team, with two additional players earning All-SAA Honorable Mention. All awards and All-SAA teams were elected by the league's coaches.
Senior forward Nick Williamson took home SAA Offensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the All-SAA First Team. Williamson, a native of Pensacola, Fla., finished atop the league leaderboard in goals, netting a total of 11 on the season. He saved his best game for the last game of the season, recording a hat trick in the SAA Championship final against Millsaps, leading his team to a 3-1 win and its second conference championship in the last three years (first SAA championship). Williamson tied for second in the league in points with 23, and scored four game-winning goals over the course of the season, including in the SAA Championship semifinals and final. He was named the SAA Tournament MVP for his efforts. This is his first career all-conference accolade. Williamson also earned a spot on the Capital One Academic All-District team, as voted by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The award honors student-athletes equally for their athletic and academic prowess.
Senior defender Nikos Papanikolopoulos garnered SAA Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the All-SAA First Team. Papanikolopoulos, a native of Atlanta, served as captain of the defense that ranked second in the league in goals allowed with 19. He also showed a great deal of skill in getting forward into the attack. He finished third in the SAA with a .368 shot percentage and also tallied five goals in conference games. The latter mark placed him third in the league among all positions. This marks his third career all-conference accolade, as he was named to the All-SAA Second Team last year and to the All-SCAC Second Team in 2011. He was named the SAA Defensive Player of the Week Oct. 7.
Head coach Jon Akin was named the SAA Coach of the Year for his efforts on the season. In an 11-year career as Oglethorpe head coach, Akin has become the winningest coach in the history of the Oglethorpe men's soccer program. The 2013 Stormy Petrels went 11-3-3 and won the program's first SAA title, its second conference title in the last three years. (Akin led the 2011 Stormy Petrels to the SCAC championship.) This marks Akin's third conference coach of the year award and his first in the SAA. He earned the SCAC Coach of the Year award twice.
In addition to Williamson and Papanikolopoulos, three other Petrels earned All-SAA First Team honors. Senior midfielder Sean King, freshman goalkeeper Vaughn Moore and freshman midfielder Gustavo Martinez all earned spots on the prestigious squad.
King, a native of Roswell, Ga., was a stalwart in midfield all season long for the Petrels. He scored three goals on the campaign and finished tied for eighth in the league with four assists. He earned a spot on the SAA All-Tournament Team for his efforts in helping the Petrels to win the conference title. This marks his third career all-conference team, as he earned All-SAA Honorable Mention last season and was named to the 2011 All-SCAC Third Team. He was also named SAA Offensive Player of the Week Oct. 14.
Moore, a native of Atlanta, stood tall in goal all season long for the Petrels. He finished third in the league with a 1.04 goals-against average, fourth in goals against with 17, fifth in both saves and save percentage (64 and .790, respectively), and second in wins with 11. He also recorded three shutouts on the season.
Martinez, a native of Atlanta, served an integral part in the Oglethorpe attack all season long. He recorded two goals and three assists on the year, and proved himself to be a constant force in the Petrel midfield, facilitating the attack.
Two other members of the Oglethorpe squad earned All-SAA Honorable Mention, meaning they received votes, but not enough to put them on either the All-SAA first or second team. Freshman defender Micah Akin and sophomore midfielder Nick Muntean earned this honor.
Akin, a native of Roswell, Ga., served as an integral part of the Oglethorpe back line as a freshman. The Petrel defense finished second in the league in goals allowed with 19 and in goals-against average with 1.06 under Akin's leadership as a center back.
Muntean, a native of Duluth, Ga., earned this honor despite missing seven games with a knee injury. He proved to be one of the best attacking players in the league before his injury, however. He finished tied for fourth in the league with five assists despite the significant chunk of the season that he missed. He also scored four goals and accrued 13 points on the season. This is his first career All-SAA designation.
