Lincoln, Truman, Maryville Collect GLVC Men’s Soccer Major Awards

INDIANAPOLIS – A trio of Lincoln representatives – junior goalkeeper Felipe Mattos, freshman forward Jonathan Nemorden, and head coach Sammy Samuels – along with Truman State junior midfielder Jacob Panagos and Maryville graduate student defender Jan Fulnek, have earned major postseason honors for the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) men’s soccer season, the league office announced on Wednesday.
 
Panagos was named Offensive Player of the Year, Fulnek earned Defensive Player of the Year, Mattos claimed Goalkeeper of the Year, Nemorden garnered Freshman of the Year, and Samuels was dubbed Coach of the Year by his peers. In total, 33 student-athletes claimed All-Conference honors, while 15 were chosen as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honorees for the sport and Lewis was selected as the team sportsmanship award winner.

The All-Conference awards are nominated and voted on by league coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own players.
 
Offensive Player of the Year: Jacob Panagos, Junior, Midfielder, Truman State

• Becomes Truman’s first Offensive Player of the Year and first major award winner since Duke Cochran won Co-Coach of the Year in 2022
• Started all 16 games, recording 1,312 minutes
• Placed second in GLVC-only matches in goals (11), third in points (23) and shots (44), and fourth in shots on goal (23)
• Finished first in the league overall in goals (14) and points (29), along with ranking third in shots (49) and shots on goal (26)
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team

 
Defensive Player of the Year: Jan Fulnek, Graduate Student, Defender, Maryville

• Becomes Maryville’s second Defensive Player of the Year, with Iwan Webster winning the other award for the Saints in 2019
• Started 16 games on the backline, playing in 1,176 minutes
• Helped the Saints hold opponents to 1.0 goals/game, while recording five shutouts
• Added two goals and four assists
• Also named to All-GLVC Third Team

 
Goalkeeper of the Year: Felipe Mattos, Junior, Lincoln

• Becomes Lincoln’s first-ever Goalkeeper of the Year
• Appeared in 11 games and started 10, playing 836 minutes
• Led league for GLVC-only matches in goals against average (.54) and save percentage (.872)
• Paced league overall with a .49 goals-against average and .875 save percentage, posting 35 saves and six shutouts
• Named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sep. 28
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team

Freshman of the Year: Jonathan Nemorden, Forward, Lincoln

• Earns Lincoln’s first-ever Freshman of the Year honor
• Appeared in 15 games and started 13, registering 1,070 minutes
• Led league for GLVC-only contests in goals (12), points (26), game-winning goals (6), and shots on goal (30), as well as finishing second in shots (59)
• Ranked first in league overall for game-winning goals (6), while finishing second in goals (12), points (26), shots (58), and shots on goal (30)
  • Added two assists
• Named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sep. 28 and Oct. 19
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team

 
Coach of the Year: Sammy Samuels, Lincoln

• Wins Lincoln’s first-ever Coach of the Year accolade
• Led the Blue Tigers to the GLVC Regular Season title with a 13-0-4 overall record and 11-0-3 GLVC record, as well as the top seed in GLVC Championship Tournament
• Mentored Mattos and Nemorden to GLVC major awards and eight players to All-GLVC recognition, including four First Team honorees

 
In addition to Panagos, Mattos, and Nemorden – eight others earned All-GLVC First Team honors. Lincoln’s Jerome Lawel and Keynath Walters joined their teammates on the First Team, while the Indianapolis duo of Joey Longo and Ryan Walsh also appeared on the list. Maryville’s Julian Stoecker, McKendree’s Fredrik Thulin, Missouri S&T’s Mike Benesik, and Quincy’s Leo Cann rounded out the group.
 
The 15 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees are listed below, which are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
 
A complete list of the 2026 All-GLVC teams and postseason honors can be found below.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR: Jacob Panagos, Jr., MF, Truman State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR: Jan Fulek, Gr., D, Maryville
GOALKEEPER OF YEAR: Felipe Mattos, Jr., Lincoln
FRESHMAN OF YEAR: Jonathan Nemorden, F, Lincoln
COACH OF YEAR: Sammy Samuels, Lincoln
 

FIRST TEAM Joey Longo, Sr., MF, UINDY Ryan Walsh, Jr., D, UINDY Jerome Lawel, Fr., MF, LIN Felipe Mattos, Jr., GK, LIN Jonathan Nemorden, Fr., F, LIN Keynath Walters, So., D, LIN Julian Stoecker, Gr., D, MU Fredrik Thulin, So., F, MCK Mike Banasik, Sr., F, S&T Leo Cann, Jr., F, QU Jacob Panagos, Jr., MF, TSU

SECOND TEAM Ben Barnett, Sr., GK, DU Cameron Chamberlain, R-Sr., D, DU Ignacio Fojo, So., D, DU David Huang, Jr., F, DU Caua Nascimento, Jr., F, DU Akwasi Agyepong, So., D, LIN Alysson Portela Barboza, So., D, LIN Junior Grizzelle, So., MF, LIN Brady Freeman, Jr., F, UMSL Mario Garcia, Jr., MF, UMSL Josh Nwosu, Sr., MF, QU

THIRD TEAM Samuel Tagg, So., MF, DU Robin Lemke Bergseth, So., F, UIS Shayne Abrams, Jr., F, UINDY Rick Lammerts, Jr., GK, UINDY Sam Siegel, Sr., D, UINDY Alejandro Zuniga, Sr., MF, UINDY Makwe Nkoana, Jr., MF, LIN Axton Anom, Sr., MF, MU Jan Fulnek, Gr., D, MU Yayo Mutombo, Sr., F, MU Jake Salazar-Blair, Jr., D, S&T

 
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Tyrell Phinn, DU
Kevin Kardel, UIS
Carson Nolan, UINDY
Mario Ramirez, LEWIS
Nicolas Asante, LIN
Axton Anom, MU
Lenny Dupoyet, MCK
Ben Frericks, S&T
Connor Lynd, UMSL
Carter Venvertloh, QU
Sam McIntosh, RU
Solomon Eduard, SBU
Brady Blum, TSU
Arnas Kurakinas, UIU
Nico Rivera, WJC
 
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
Lewis