Cal State Northridge junior Sagi Lev-Ari provided the offensive fireworks and UC Santa Barbara senior Peter Schmetz contributed on both sides of the ball to propel themselves to Big West Men's Soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors, respectively.
Lev-Ari Scoring Outburst Propels Him Into Big West Lead
Cal State Northridge junior Sagi Lev-Ari (Haifa, Israel/Monroe College) continued to put his scoring prowess on display as the conference's and nation's goals and points leader earned Big West Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Lev-Ari contributed to all four Matador goals during a 1-1 week that included a 2-1 loss to UC Santa Barbara and a 3-1 victory over Cal Poly.
The forward notched three goals and an assist, vaulting him into first place in the Big West and the nation in goals (11) and points (26). He ignited a strong start for the No. 4 Matadors with a header goal in the sixth minute against the Gauchos. The strike ended a four-match goalless streak for the Haifa, Israel native.
Against the Mustangs on Sunday, Lev-Ari unleashed a pair of goals to go along with the game-winning assist. He erased an early Cal Poly lead with a game-tying goal in the 23rd minute. In the 58th minute, he started the game-winning sequence with a headed ball that ultimately led to a breakaway goal.
Lev-Ari added an insurance goal in the 65th minute. He has scored a goal each time he has faced Cal Poly. In addition, he compiled his sixth career multi-goal game and his seven-point weekend matched his previous best he set at the Lobo Invitational where he earned Offensive MVP honors with wins versus Central Arkansas and New Mexico.
Others nominated: Spencer Johnson (Cal State Fullerton)
Schmetz Plays Huge Role In Pair Of UC Santa Barbara Victories
Peter Schmetz (Düsseldorf, Germany/Gymnasium am Neandertal) delivered on the dual role of offensive hero and defensive glue, as the UC Santa Barbara senior notched Big West Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week accolades.
The defender contributed heavily to a pair of overtime road victories that cemented UC Santa Barbara's first 4-0 Big West start since 2009.
Schmetz registered his third goal in five matches at the 86:12 mark to erase a 1-0 deficit against No. 4 Cal State Northridge and eventually send the match into overtime. The Gauchos sealed the victory with eight seconds remaining in the extra period on a penalty kick goal. Despite CSUN's early score, Schmetz anchored a backline that mostly thwarted the high-octane Matador offense and limited them to nine shots for the match.
In Sunday's 2-1 double overtime victory against UC Irvine, Schmetz did not dent the scoring column but he helped prevent the Anteaters from doing the same. In fact, the Gauchos played a man down for the final 56 minutes of the match, including two overtime periods, and did not yield a goal with Schmetz on patrol.
Others nominated: Jesse Vega (Cal State Fullerton); Adam Hobbs (Cal State Northridge)