Big South Announces Men's Soccer Players of the Week - Aug. 24

Big South Announces Men's Soccer Players of the Week - Aug. 24

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Longwood forward Shafei Youssef (Cairo, Egypt) has been named the Big South Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, while UNC Asheville’s Lennart Granzow (Hamburg, Germany) is the Defensive Player of the Week for matches played during the opening week of the regular season, it was announced today. In addition, High Point forward Nick Sarantakos (Williamsburg, Va.) has been selected as the Freshman of the Week.
 
Shafei scored twice in his Longwood debut, including the game-winning goal with 1:12 remaining, to help the Lancers overcome a two-goal second-half deficit and defeat William & Mary, 6-5. The sophomore opened the scoring in the 29th minute, finishing from 12 yards out on the right side. He then delivered the decisive goal in the final minutes, lifting a shot over the W&M goalkeeper from close range to complete Longwood’s comeback and secure its first win over the Tribe. Shafei was one of 23 players nationally to score twice on the opening night of the college soccer season, doing so in 52 minutes of action.
 
Granzow scored his first career game-winning goal while anchoring a UNC Asheville defense that recorded a shutout in a 1-0 season-opening victory over Northern Kentucky. The senior defender opened the scoring in the 35th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick for Asheville’s first goal of the season. Granzow helped hold the Norse to just one shot in the opening half as the Bulldogs recorded their first season-opening shutout since 2015. He played all 90 minutes in the victory.
 
Sarantakos recorded his first collegiate goal and assist in his High Point debut, helping the Panthers open the season with a 5-2 win over LIU. The freshman provided an insurance goal in the 74th minute, extending HPU’s lead to three goals after assisting on the Panthers’ third goal just before halftime. Sarantakos found the back of the net on his only shot of the match while playing 36 minutes.
 
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Alfred Baafi (High Point), Hugo Roman (Radford) and Shion Hayashi (Winthrop).
 
Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Noah Behrmann (High Point) and Euan Brindley (Winthrop).
 
Also nominated for Freshman of the Week: Bryce Paige (Radford) and Teo Jelaca (Winthrop).