INDIANAPOLIS – The window of opportunity to make the playoffs remains alive and well for most teams as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer Players of the Week honors were revealed on Monday.
Lake Erie, ranked seventh nationally, officially secured the regular-season title with impressive wins against Findlay and Tiffin.
The Storm will host a first-round quarterfinal contest in Painesville and carry the No. 1 seed in the Great Midwest Championship tournament. With 33 points, it is mathematically impossible for any other team to catch the Storm at the top of the standings.
Also clinching a playoff spot was defending Midwest Region champion Ohio Valley as the Fighting Scots. OVU has 26 points and is also on the verge of locking up a first-round playoff home matchup.
A total of six more playoff bids are on the line as the regular season continues this week. Most teams have three games left to play.
The first NCAA Super Region 3 rankings will also be announced on Wednesday and the Great Midwest carries one of three AQ’s in the new NCAA Championship qualification process.
Offensive Player of the Week
Nicolas Rodriguez
Ohio Valley
Midfield
Senior
Boca Raton, FL
Celebrating Senior Day over the past week, Rodriguez earned top offensive honors around the league for his contributions.
Rodriguez played a part in three of his team’s six goals for the Fighting Scots over the two games. He scored one goal and assisted on the two others.
The senior had both of his assists come in the 3-0 victory over Trevecca Nazarene. His one goal came in the 3-0 defeat of Kentucky Wesleyan over the weekend.
Rodriguez is now tied for the team lead in assists on the season with five while also being one of the three players for the Fighting Scots tied for most points with 15.
The Fighting Scots have not lost a game since September 28, and they have won six of their last eight. They only have one game this week as they travel to nationally ranked Lake Erie on Thursday.
Defensive Player of the Week
Omar Oliveros-Alvarez
Lake Erie
Defense
Graduate Student
Dijon, Spain (UC Ceares)
The Storm produced two more shutouts as Oliveros-Alvarez was recognized as one of the team’s key defensive anchors.
The graduate from Spain was one of those leaders. The Storm’s first game of the week saw them defeat Findlay 1-0 in OT. The Storm then traveled to Tiffin where they defeated the Dragons 1-0 in a tight battle.
The Storm only allowed a total of seven shots on target over the two games while two-time defensive player of the week Tom John made a combined six stops.
Oliveros-Alvarez has started all 15 games that he has appeared in for the Storm while also producing one assist from the Defensive position.
The Storm’s defense allows .37 goals per game and have only allowed six goals in the 16 games played this season.
The Storm finish out their regular season this week as they host second place Ohio Valley on Thursday and finish the week on Saturday hosting Alderson Broaddus.