NC State(m) junior Taig Healy is the Player of the Week after his stellar midfield play guided the Wolfpack to two NCAA tournament victories.
MORE: Men’s Division l Scoreboard
The show began Thursday evening with Healy assisting the opener as NC State defeated Charlotte 2-1. Next came a trip to Georgetown with a Sweet Sixteen berth on the line. The New Hampshire native again shined, assisting both goals and playing all 90 minutes in the 2-0 shutout victory. The Wolfpack are now in the round of 16 for the first time in 30 years.
Check out the Men’s Team of the Week, presented by KwikGoal.
Please send any future Team of the Week nominations to college@topdrawersoccer.com
Player of the Week: Taig Healy, NC State(m)
Men’s Team of the Week: November 18-24
GK: Cabral Carter, Pittsburgh(m) – A first-half red card had the Panthers reeling, but Cabral was unbeatable with five saves and several crucial interventions to defeat Cornell 1-0.
D: Zach Barrett, Vermont(m) – The Pennsylvania native had a sensational two-game run, providing three assists as Vermont defeated Iona and Hofstra to move on to the Sweet Sixteen.
D: Jack Sandmeyer, San Diego(m) – Sandmeyer kicked off his stellar week with 90 minutes played and a clean sheet to knock out UC Davis, his former school, then headed home a late game-winner to defeat Duke in another 1-0 victory.
D: Nikola Markovic, NC State(m) – The freshman center back had a breakout week as he scored in a 2-1 defeat of Charlotte, then starred with several important blocks in the 2-0 shutout for Georgetown.
M: Taig Healy, NC State(m) – Healy put on two creative masterclasses to send NC State to its first Sweet Sixteen appearance in 30 years.
M: Julien Le Bourdoulous, Kansas City(m) – The Kansas City senior continued his set-piece brilliance, providing corner kick assists as the Kangaroos defeated Saint Louis and Missouri State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in history.
M: Max Rogers, Maryland(m) – Maryland may have lost the second match, but Rogers was exceptional with a goal and two assists to defeat LIU, then the equalizer in the eventual loss to Wake Forest.
M: Owen Smith, Western Michigan(m) – The country’s leader in assists added to his total with two and a goal versus SIUE, then scored another in the eventual loss to Ohio State.
F: Alec Hughes, Massachusetts(m) – With a world-class free kick to score versus Evansville, then the lone goal on a chest and volley to defeat Penn, Hughes lived up to the hype as one of the best in college soccer.
F: Haruhi Taneda, Marshall(m) – A viral bicycle kick capped off an outstanding performance where Taneda scored and assisted twice to defeat Furman 4-0.
F: Yaniv Bazini, Vermont(m) – A brace in a 5-1 defeat of Iona, plus another goal in the 2-1 victory over Hofstra, led the Catamounts to the round of 16.
Honorable Mention: GK Donovan Parisian (San Diego(m)), D Noah Adnan (Stanford(m)), D Owen Zarnick (SMU(m)), D Jansen Miller (Indiana(m)), M Michael Adedokun (Ohio State(m)), M Sam Bassett (Denver(m)), M Victor Gaulmin (Akron(m)), M Dylan Borso (Wake Forest(m)), F Ethan Sassine (Dayton(m)), F Wahabu Musah (Clemson(m)), F AJ Smith (Virginia(m))
