Plougmand named SAC Offensive Player of the Year

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Senior forward Peter Plougmand was named the South Atlantic Conference Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, as announced by the league Wednesday morning.

Plougmand, a senior from Odense, Denmark, leads all of NCAA Division II with 23 goals scored and his 52 points rank second in the nation. Plougmand erupted for a quartet of goals against Newberry, tying the Mars Hill school record for the second time in his career and had seven total goals in the first four games of the year. He would go on to record hat tricks against Carson-Newman, Emory & Henry, and in the SAC Quarterfinal against Lincoln Memorial. He has seven games with multiple goals on the year and led Mars Hill to the No. 4 seed in the SAC Tournament and a spot in the semifinals.  

He is the only player in conference history to be named an Offensive Player of the Week four times in a single season. Plougmand was named the statistical champion in goals per match (1.53) and points per match (3.47), both tops in the nation.

He set career highs in every offensive category and was held scoreless just twice on the year. The team captain has 131 points in 66 games played, with 57 goals in 17 assists.

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Sam Bayly was named a First Team selection. The senior midfielder from Lincolnshire, England started in all 16 games for the Lions, netting five goals and three assists. He scored both goals in the Lions' 2-0 win over Tusculum.

Nabbing a spot on the Second Team was junior defender Ben Harvey. Harvey, a pillar of the Lions' back line, appeared in and started in 15 games this season.

Three Lions were named to the Third Team: Adrian Faus, Bruno Fornes, and Nolan McMillen.

Faus, a junior forward, is second on the team and third in the league with 22 points. Faus netted seven goals while leading the team with eight assists. Faus has scored in back-to-back games against No. 5 Limestone and Lincoln Memorial.

Fornes, a junior midfielder, collected two assists in 14 games played this season. McMillen, a graduate defender, is fourth on the team with six points (1G, 4A). He has started in all 16 games and set career-highs in assists and points.

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Mars Hill will take on No. 5 Limestone on Friday, November 15 in the SAC Semifinals at 11 a.m., hosted at the Matthews Sportsplex in Matthews, North Carolina.