Six Gardner-Webb Players Earn Postseason Big South Accolades
November 12, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Sensational forward Denzel Clarke (Atlanta, Ga. / Greater Atlanta Christian), midfield standout Ali Al-Gashamy (Kristiansand, Norway) and defensive stalwart Marius Hammersmark (Kristiansand, Norway) each earned first-team All-Big South Conference honors.
Clarke was the runner up for Big South Conference Attacking Player of the Year, despite leading the nation in goals per game (0.94) and goals (16). Clarke set a new Gardner-Webb Division I era-record with three hat tricks during the regular season and had three game winners in helping Gardner-Webb to a 9-7-1 mark and No. 4 seed in the upcoming tournament.
Clarke's 16 goals are the most for a Gardner-Webb player since the move to NCAA Division I competition in 2000. He finished just three first place votes shy of picking up the league's top offensive honor in 2013, which went to Coastal Carolina midfielder Pedro Ribeiro. Clarke was the top vote getter at the forward position.
Al-Gashamy also ranks among the national leaders, dishing off seven assists in his first season on the pitch with the Runnin' Bulldogs. The crafty midfielder also has four goals to his credit, which ranks third on the squad.
Both Clarke and Al-Gashamy were named Disney/NSCAA Player of the Week in October, with Clark winning that honor on October 22 and Al-Gashamy following suit one week later.
Hammersmark, a team captain, has helped Gardner-Webb post five shutouts as a team defensively while providing some punch offensively with five goals - ranking second on the team. Three of his scores have been game winners. He scored a pair in Gardner-Webb's 2-1 road win at Mercer in September.
Keeper Matthew Swan (Newport, South Wales, UK) and midfielder Iman Mafi (Grimstad, Norway) each earned a spot on the Big South All-Freshman team, with Swan the runner up for the league's Freshman of the Year Award.
Swan ranks among the NCAA and Big South leaders in total saves and saves per match and has four shutouts on the season (five combined). Swan has saved 89 shots so far in 2013 (5.24 per match) and ranks in the top-50 nationally with an .809 save percentage. His shutout total ranks second in the Big South Conference.
Mafi ranks fourth on the team with five points and two goals and scored the game winner at Campbell in late October.
Brooks Asger (Florence, S.C.) earned a spot on the All-Academic Big South Team, and has posted a team-high 3.53 cumulative GPA. Asger has started five matches and has appeared in 12 for the Runnin' Bulldogs. He has four shots on the year, including one on frame.
Gardner-Webb (9-7-1) hosts No. 5 seed Radford at 6:00 pm on Tuesday in the opening round of this year's Big South Conference Tournament. The Runnin' Bulldogs are looking for their second NCAA Tournament spot, and first since winning the A-Sun Conference tourney in 2006.
