By Brian Maurer
There has been lots of parity and pressure from several teams vying for top spots in the national rankings to start 2026. Big Ten teams in particular have started off well in this campaign. There have been big upsets and impressive individual performances alike.
Here’s our men’s soccer week 2 awards:
Team of the Week
Oregon State
Oregon State are the latest team to jump in the standings after knocking down the defending champions. The Beavers’ attack has been flying as they have scored 10 goals through their first three games including their most recent win this past week putting four goals past Washington on their way to a 4-3 win. Oregon State’s tests get quite steeper this next week as they travel East to take on Georgetown and Virginia.
Offensive Player of the Week
Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez – Junior – Midfielder – South Carolina
South Carolina picked up a massive win this past week against Clemson. Alejandro Velazquez-Lopez helped lead the Gamecocks attack with the game-winning goal and an assist. The midfielder now has a goal contribution in all three of South Carolina’s wins to start the year and has scored the game winner in back-to-back contests.
Defensive Player of the Week
Elijah Bishop – Graduate Student – Center Back – Ohio State
Elijah Bishop helped the Buckeyes preserve a clean sheet against Memphis this past week and also played a beautiful through ball for an assist in the game. Bishop has helped Ohio State maintain a perfect defensive record through their opening three games of the season.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Laurin Mack – Junior – Maryland
Laurin Mack stood tall against one of the top teams in the nation when High Point came to town. Mack made six saves to give Maryland a chance to find the winner and maintain their place in the top 3 of our national rankings. The veteran goalkeeper now has 11 saves and a 78.6% save rate to start the 2026 campaign.
Freshman of the Week
Jordan Igwenma – Forward – Creighton
Jordan Igwenma is off to a fast start in his collegiate career. This past week he scored the winner against San Francisco and also added an assist in that contest. He added another assist to his season tally against Tulsa. The rookie forward now has five goal contributions (3g/2a) in four games.
