Three Gardner-Webb Men's Soccer Players Named All-State by NCCSIA
December 05, 2019 | Men's Soccer
MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Following a 2019 campaign that saw the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs earn their highest seed in the Big South tournament since 2011, three men's soccer players All-State recognition in the University Division from the North Carolina Collegiate Sports Information Association (NCCSIA) on Thursday.
Forward Oskar Wang earned First-Team All-State recognition while forward Pedro Benito and midfielder Abel Gebrekiros were named Second-Team All-State members.
The NCCSIA All-State University Division includes athletes from NCAA Division I schools. Players from Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte, Elon, High Point, Gardner-Webb and UNCW were honored. The Seahawks of UNCW led the with seven selections. Charlotte and Campbell each had four players named All-State while Gardner-Webb had three and Appalachian State two. One student-athlete from both Elon and Appalachian State were selected, bringing the total to 22 honorees among two teams.
Wang (Neskollen, Norway / Vormsund NTG Kongsvinger) was a First-Team All-Big South and NCCSIA selection. He led the Runnin' Bulldogs with eight goals and had a hat trick in a loss to Furman (Sept. 6). He was also the team leader in assists (6) and points (22). He had a pair of multi-assist matches and ranked in the top-10 in the Big South in eight categories.
Benito (Cadiz, Spain / Oklahoma Wesleyan University) was the third leading scorer on the squad with five goals. The Cadiz, Spain native also assisted on three goals and was third in the team in points with 13. He netted game-winners against USC Upstate (Oct. 8) and Presbyterian (Nov. 3) with his winner against the Blue Hose clinching the No. 3 three seed in the Big South tournament for Gardner-Webb. In addition to his NCCSIA, he was Second-Team All-Big South selection.
Gebrekiros (Austin, Minn. / Iowa Lakes CC) played in 15 matches with seven starts. He scored four goals in the regular season, including two in conference play. In the postseason, he scored twice against High Point in the conference semifinals with goals in the 28th and 47th minutes, both of which were equalizers. The junior forward tallied 16 points (6 goals, 4 assists) and ranked sixth in the Big South in goals (6), points (16), goals per game (0.400), points per game (1.07) and game-winning goals (2). Gebrekiros was also named All-Conference as voted on by the Big South's men's soccer coaches in addition to his NCCSIA recognition.
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