By Brian Maurer
It was a terrific opening week of action with several big-time matchups and changes happening all over the top 25 rankings as we figure out who the top teams are this season. There were also several strong freshman performances at every position.
Here’s our men’s soccer Week 1 awards as we get set for Week 2 action:
Team of the Week
San Diego
The Toreros got the season off to about as great a start as they could ask for. Beating the defending National Champions Washington on the road opening night 2-1 and then following that up with a 3-1 home win against Liberty.
Offensive Player of the Week
Zach Ramsey – Junior – Midfielder – Washington
Zach Ramsey was the lone goalscorer for Washington on the losing side of their opener against San Diego. He followed up that goal with a hattrick against Gonzaga. The 2025 College Cup Most Outstanding Offensive Player has picked up right where he left off in December.
Defensive Player of the Week
Eirikur Beck – Freshman – Left back – UNC Charlotte
Eirikur Beck helped UNC Charlotte keep a clean sheet against ranked West Virginia in their opener, he also contributed to the Niners victory on the offensive end with an assist. Beck continued to impress as a two-way player on the weekend against Wofford as he helped contribute to a set-piece goal and helped his club maintain an advantage for most of the game until a late set-piece from Wofford forced a draw. Two assists, a clean sheet, and a win against a ranked opponent. Not a bad debut week for the freshman.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Hunter Anderson – Freshman – Air Force
Hunter Anderson had to deal with a ton of attacking volume this past week and made 16 saves across both of Air Force’s contests, keeping one clean sheet and only allowing one goal. The freshman played an important role in helping the program get out of opening week unbeaten with two draws.
Freshman of the Week
Killian Doherty – FWD/MID – Stonehill
Killian Doherty helped Stonehill with game-winning goals in each of their first two games. He also had an assist against Rhode Island. Stonehill only had five wins all of last season, so for a freshman to come in and help the program get two wins out of the gate is a big first step for Doherty and the Skyhawks.
