LH MSOC: Hershey named Athlete of the Year, four Bald Eagles earn All-Conference honors
LOCK HAVEN, PA – The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) on Thursday released its 2022 All-Conference Teams and, for the second year in a row, the Lock Haven men’s soccer team has taken home the Eastern Division Athlete of the Year as forward Samuel Hershey (Lancaster, Pa./McCaskey) earned the award for the 2022 season.
Hershey was also honored on the PSAC Eastern Division First-Team All-Conference and was joined on the first team by midfielder Connor Swope (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York).
On the second team, Aitor Ruiz de Eguilaz (Euskadi, Spain/Koldo Mitxelena (Robert Morris)) took home the award in goal and freshman midfielder Jimmy Pombor (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) was also honored.
For head coach Patrick Long (’08) and the Bald Eagles, it marks the first time since 1993 that The Haven has brought home PSAC Athlete of the Year honors in back-to-back seasons. It is also the third year in a row that Lock Haven has earned one of the three major awards from the conference.
For the sophomore Hershey, it marks his second appearance on the All-PSAC First-Team and his second major award, as he brought home PSAC East Rookie of the Year during his freshman campaign. During the 2022 regular season, Hershey posted a team-high and conference third-best 11 goals. He also added four assists for a conference fifth-best 26 points.
Swope makes his first appearance on the All-PSAC team after a breakout sophomore season. The midfielder was second on the team in points and goals notching 14 and 5, respectively. Swope also tied for the team-high with four assists and served as a key attacking midfielder for the Bald Eagles.
For Ruiz de Eguilaz, it’s his second straight PSAC honor as he continued to anchor The Haven defense in 2022. His goals against average of 1.079 and save percentage of .781 were both fourth in the PSAC. The Bald Eagles senior also notched four shutouts in 2022 which seated him in a tie for fourth-place in the conference.
The freshman midfielder Pombor earned his spot on the second team after a strong rookie campaign in which he started 15 games for The Haven. From his place deep in the Bald Eagle midfield, Pombor provided two assists while adding crucial support to the back line and linking attack and defense together for The Haven.
On Wednesday (Oct. 26), the Bald Eagles capped the 2022 season in style with a 3-0 win over visiting Shepherd and the quartet of All-PSAC honorees shined. Hershey provided a goal and an assist, while Swope and Pombor both handed out an assist. Ruiz de Eguilaz came out in the 88th minute of a team clean sheet and made two saves.
