Greenville, S.C. – Furman's Aaron Salinas garnered Southern Conference Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year honors and was joined on the All-SoCon First Team by teammates Christian Kraus, Ivan Agyaakwah, and Slades Starnes, it was announced on Thursday afternoon by the league office.
 
Wilfer Bustamante, Lloyd Wamu Snell, and Luke Hutzell earned second team all-league accolades while Bustamante and Hutzell were joined on the SoCon All-Freshman Team by rookie defender Ryan Wagner.
 
Salinas, a native of Grand Prairie, Texas, posted a 7-3-4 record and 1.08 goals against average this season. The sophomore, who started all 14 matches in goal for the Paladins, recorded three shutouts on the year and upped his performance in league play by fashioning a 0.8 GAA in five SoCon matches. Salinas is the first Paladin to capture goalkeeper of the year honors since Ben Hale.
 
Kraus, a senior from Fenton, Mo., paced the Paladins with five goals and added three assists during the regular season to earn first team All-SoCon honors for the second straight year. The forward netted a goal and added two assists in a 4-2 win over nationally-ranked College of Charleston before scoring for the Paladins in league win versus VMI and Wofford.
 
Agyaakwah picked up his first All-SoCon citation after compiling four goals and three assists as a senior to rank second on the team with 11 total points. The London, England, native netted the match-tying goal in last Saturday's 1-1 draw versus Mercer in the regular season finale.
 
Starnes, a center back who received second team All-SoCon last season after earning SoCon All-Freshman honors two years ago, tallied a goal and recorded a team-best four assists while playing in just 11 matches. The junior from Dallas, Texas, assisted on both goals in a 2-0 win at Presbyterian.
 
Bustamante, a native of Greenville, S.C., and product of J.L. Mann High School has a breakout freshman season that included a pair of SoCon Offensive Player of the Week scrolls. The forward scored four goals, including a pair in the victory over No. 23 College of Charleston, en route to being named second team All-SoCon.
 
Wamu Snell joined Agyaakwah and Bustamante in scoring four goals during his junior season. The forward form Basingstoke, England, produced a pair of match-winning scores and added two assists in 13 appearances.
 
Hutzell started all 14 matches in the midfielder as a freshman. The Dacula, Ga., product totaled three assists on the season to secure second team All-SoCon and all-freshman laurels. Freshman Ryan Wagner, a native of Leawood, Kan., also started all 14 matches as a rookie and added two assists.
 
The fourth-seeded Paladins (7-3-4) and fifth-seeded Mercer Bears (6-4-7) are set for 7 p.m. kickoff in the opening round of the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship on Friday at UNCG Stadium in Greensboro, N.C. The winner of Friday's match advances to face the No. 1 seed UNCG Spartans in the semifinal round on Sunday at 2 p.m. at UNCG Stadium.
Friday's match will be streamed live on ESPN+ with live statistics available through StatBroadcast. Links for the live stream and live stats can be found on the men's soccer schedule page at FurmanPaladins.com.
 
2024 Southern Conference Postseason Awards
Player of the Year - Yoshiya Okawa, Sr., MF, UNCG
Goalkeeper of the Year - Aaron Salinas, So., Furman
Coach of the Year - Allen Vital, ETSU
Freshman of the Year - Issah Haruna, MF, UNCG
 
First Team
F - Gabriel Ramos, ETSU
F - Christian Kraus, Furman
F - Arnaud Tattevin, UNCG
MF - Carlos Santamaria, Mercer
MF - Jack Birch, UNCG
MF - Yoshiya Okawa, UNCG
MF - Paul Jones, Wofford
D - Ivan Agyaakwah, Furman
D - Slade Starnes, Furman
D - Sekou Agard, Mercer
GK - Aaron Salinas, Furman
 
Second Team
F - Wilfer Bustamante, Furman
F -  Lloyd Wamu Snell, Furman
F - Barzee Blama, Mercer
F - Enzo Dovlo, UNCG
MF - Luke Hutzell, Furman
MF - Issah Haruna, UNCG
MF - Jakob Andersson, Wofford
D - Louie Salkeld, ETSU
D - Daniel Longo, UNCG
D - Bryce Peacock, Wofford
GK - Trevor McMullen, Mercer
 
All-Freshman
Oliver Einarsson, MF, ETSU
Ulysses Hendriks, MF, ETSU
Ingvar Kolbjornsen, MF, ETSU
Wilfer Bustamante, F, Furman
Luke Hutzell, MF, Furman
Ryan Wagner, D, Furman
Aaron Pondeca, F, Mercer
Issah Haruna, MF, UNCG
Mohammed Sumaila, D, UNCG
Anthony Huang, F, VMI
Leo Ledin, GK, Wofford
Kalle Rahbek, MF, Wofford