INDIANAPOLIS – University of Wisconsin-Parkside junior forward Antonio Gonzalez and Drury University senior goalkeeper Logan Ponche have been named the first Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week in men’s soccer, it was announced by the league office Monday.
Gonzalez finished the week with four goals, three assists and 11 points, helping the Rangers steamroll a pair of non-conference foes. The junior had a hat trick in the season opener, netting the eventual game winner in the 11th minute to help blank St. Francis (Ill.), 6-0. The forward scored just 10 minutes later before completing the hat trick in the 62nd minute. He also assisted on an Abraham Kanneh goal in the 26th minute. Three days later against Robert Morris, Gonzalez scored a goal and tallied two assists in the Rangers’ 9-1 blowout victory. On the week, the East Troy, Wis., native helped UWP outscore its opponents 15-1 by shooting five of his seven shots on goal, with four of them finding the back of the net. The last time a Ranger received a weekly accolade from the conference office was Defensive Player of the Week honoree Marcos Perez on Sept. 9, 2013. Prior to the 2013 season, only one Player of the Week award was given, and no Ranger offensive player has been honored since Bojan Jovicic captured back-to-back awards on Aug. 29 and Sept. 4, 2006. Jovicic went on to win the GLVC Offensive Player of the Year later that season.
Ponche allowed just one goal on the week while posting seven overall saves as he helped the Panthers to a 2-0 start at the Days Inn Classic in Hays, Kan., to open the 2014 campaign. The highlight of the week came Sunday when Drury kept No. 23 Fort Hays State off the scoreboard in a 2-0 shutout as Ponche stopped four of the 15 shots he faced by the Tigers. He had three saves in the Panthers’ 2-1 win over Lubbock Christian on Friday. Ponche ended the week with an .875 save percentage and 0.50 goals against average after facing 19 shots over two contests. This is the first weekly award for a Drury standout since Micah Whorton was named GLVC Player of the Week on Oct. 26, 2009. The St. Charles, Mo., native is the first Drury defender to be honored by the league since goalkeeper Cesar Cereiio was recognized on Sept. 24, 2007.