DALLAS – Conference USA announced the 2020 C-USA Men’s Soccer Superlative Awards along with the league’s All-Conference and All-Freshman teams. C-USA champion Marshall led the league with six superlative awards, and the Herd had a total of 10 All-Conference and All-Freshman honorees.
 
The C-USA Superlative Awards were given to Marshall midfielder Vitor Dias, who was selected as the C-USA Player of the Year, Offensive MVP and Co-Midfielder of the Year, Charlotte’s Patrick Hogan (Defensive MVP), Kentucky’s Marcel Meinzer (Co-Midfielder of the Year), Marshall’s Oliver Semmle (Goalkeeper of the Year and Golden Glove Award), Old Dominion defender Josh Thacker (Freshman of the Year) and Marshall’s Chris Grassie (Coach of the Year). Charlotte’s Preston Popp and Florida Atlantic’s Ivan Mykhailenko shared the league’s Golden Boot Award.
 
All awards are voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. The Golden Boot Award is given to the player with the most goals in C-USA games, while the Golden Glove Award is given to the goalkeeper with the most shutouts in C-USA games.
 
Dias, a junior, scored six goals and added three assists for 15 points for the Thundering Herd. He led C-USA overall in points per game (1.25), and he was second in points (15), tied for second in goals (six), tied for third in goals per game (0.50), tied for fifth in assists (three) and tied for sixth in assists per game (0.25). Dias scored his six goals in only 11 shots on goal, a 61.1 percent shot on goal percentage. He also had a pair of game-winning goals for the Herd. Dias was C-USA Offensive Player of the Week on February 23.
 
Hogan, a redshirt senior, started all 10 games for Charlotte and anchored a 49ers defense that recorded five shutouts in C-USA action. He was the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on April 6, and he was named to College Soccer News’ & Top Drawer Soccer’s National Teams of the Week.
 
Meinzer, a junior team captain, played in 17 games with 16 starts for Kentucky, scored three goals and added two assists for eight points in all games, with all three goals scored in C-USA play. Two of his three goals were game-winners for the Wildcats.
 
Semmle, a junior, posted eight shutouts in 13 overall games, allowing just five goals for a league-leading 0.38 goals against average. Six of his shutouts were in C-USA play, which earned him the Golden Glove Award.
 
Thacker, a true freshman, helped lead Old Dominion’s defense, which allowed one goal or less in five of eight games overall. He also had one goal, a game-winner vs. William & Mary, as he was third on the Monarchs in goals and points and third on ODU in shots on goal.
 
Mykhailenko, a Florida Atlantic senior forward, tied with Popp, a Charlotte junior forward, for the Golden Boot Award as each scored five goals in Conference USA play.
 
Grassie repeated as C-USA Coach of the Year after leading the Thundering Herd to the C-USA title after Marshall was 9-2-2 overall and 6-0-1 in conference play. Grassie had eight All-Conference members on the three teams and two All-Freshman players on the squad, including Dias, who was Player of the Year, Offensive MVP and Co-Midfielder of the Year and Semmle, who was Goalkeeper of the Year and the Golden Glove Award winner.
 
Dias, Hogan, Meinzer, Semmle and Mykhailenko were all named to the First Team All-Conference USA squad. Joining them were defenders Leon Jones (Kentucky) and Nathan Dossantos (Marshall), midfielders Joe Brito (Charlotte) and Alessandro Campoy (FIU) and forwards Alex Willis (Charlotte), Jamil Roberts (Marshall) and Brian Banahan (South Carolina).
 
Jones, a redshirt junior for the Wildcats, played in 16 games with 15 starts. He scored one goal and added two assists for four points. Dossantos, a junior transfer for the Herd, helped Marshall to eight overall shutouts, including six in C-USA play, while he scored one goal and also chipped in two assists in 13 overall games. He was named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week twice during the season.
 
Brito, a senior for the 49ers, is one of the key members of Charlotte’s offensive attack at center midfield. He scored a goal in a road victory at Old Dominion, and he also helped the 49ers defense record six shutouts in 10 overall games. Campoy, a redshirt senior, led the Panthers in scoring with four goals and an assist for nine points in eight overall games, with three goals and an assist in C-USA play. He was named C-USA Offensive Player of the Week twice.
 
Willis, a junior for the 49ers, is second in scoring for Charlotte with three goals and two assists for eight points, and he leads the team in shots with 32. Roberts, a senior for the Herd, is third on the team in scoring with two goals and four assists for eight points. Banahan, a sophomore for the Gamecocks, led the conference in both overall goals (seven) and points (16) and was second in shots taken (40).
 
The coaches also selected Second Team and Third Team All-Conference squads and an All-Freshman Team.
 
2020 C-USA Men’s Soccer All-Conference Award Winners
 
Player of the Year
Vitor Dias, Marshall
 
Offensive MVP
Vitor Dias, Marshall
 
Defensive MVP
Patrick Hogan, Charlotte
 
Co-Midfielders of the Year
Marcel Meinzer, Kentucky and Vitor Dias, Marshall
 
Goalkeeper of the Year
Oliver Semmle, Marshall
 
Freshman of the Year
Josh Thacker, Old Dominion
 
Coach of the Year
Chris Grassie, Marshall
 
Co-Golden Boot Award
Preston Popp, Charlotte and Ivan Mykhailenko, Florida Atlantic
 
Golden Glove Award
Oliver Semmle, Marshall
 
All-Conference USA First Team
GK: Oliver Semmle, Marshall
D: Patrick Hogan, Charlotte
D: Leon Jones, Kentucky
D: Nathan Dossantos, Marshall
MF: Joe Brito, Charlotte
MF: Alessandro Campoy, FIU
MF: Marcel Meinzer, Kentucky
MF: Vitor Dias, Marshall
F: Alex Willis, Charlotte
F: Ivan Mykhailenko, Florida Atlantic
F: Jamil Roberts, Marshall
F: Brian Banahan, South Carolina
 
All-Conference USA Second Team
GK: Johan Peñaranda, FIU
D: Delasi Batse, Charlotte
D: Kareem Riley, FIU
D: Graeme Pratt, Florida Atlantic
D: Robert Screen, Kentucky
D: Collin Mocyunas, Marshall
D: Josh Thacker, Old Dominion
MF: Alonso Coello Camarero, Florida Atlantic
MF: Max Schneider, Marshall
MF: Pedro Dolabella, Marshall
MF: Peter Clement, South Carolina
F: Preston Popp, Charlotte
F: Milo Yosef, Marshall
 
All-Conference USA Third Team
GK: Austin Mullins, Charlotte
GK: Djibril Doumbia, Old Dominion
D: David Garcia, FIU
D: Daniel Skistad, Florida Atlantic
MF: Joseph Buete, UAB
MF: Grayson Dupont, UAB
MF: Cale Loughrey, UAB
F: Mauro Bravo, FIU
F: Eythor Bjorgolfsson, Kentucky
F: Daniel Evans, Kentucky
F: Christian Kraus, South Carolina
 
C-USA All-Freshman Team
Jonathan Nyandjo, F, Charlotte
Johannes Vedin, D, FIU
Vasilis Spinos, D, Florida Atlantic
Enzo Mauriz, MF, Kentucky
Jacob Adams, MF, Marshall
Gabriel Alves, D, Marshall
Ettore Casadei, F, Old Dominion
Josh Thacker, D, Old Dominion
Peter Clement, MF, South Carolina
Justin Kopay, D, South Carolina
Christian Kraus, D, South Carolina
Shane De Leon, MF, UAB