Greenville, S.C. – Furman men's soccer swept the Southern Conference player of the year, goalkeeper of the year, freshman of the year, and coach of the year awards while nine Paladins received all-league or all-freshman honors in voting by the SoCon's six head coaches, it was announced on Thursday afternoon.
 
Junior Diego Hernandez was named SoCon Player of the Year after ranking second in the conference in goals (8), first in assists (8), and tying for first in points (24) in 17 regular season matches. The Mesquite, Texas, native, who netted three match-winning goals, was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List, Top Drawer Soccer Player of the Year Leaderboard, and was named as one of the top 25 players in the nation by Top Drawer during the season. His player of the year selection was the first by a Paladin since goalkeeper Ben Hale earned the honor in 2020.
 
Redshirt-freshman Ivan Horvat, in his first season in goal for the Paladins, garnered SoCon Goalkeeper of the Year honors. The Bratislava, Slovakia, product paced the league in goals against average (0.77), shutouts (5), and save percentage (81%) en route to an 11-1-3 record between posts. In addition to a career-best eight saves in a scoreless draw at nationally-ranked Virginia Tech, Horvat turned away six shots in a win over nationally-ranked Gardner-Webb and in a home triumph over Charlotte. He allowed just one goal in his final four matches of the regular season. His selection marked the second straight year that a Paladin earned goalkeeper of the year laurels after teammate Aaron Salinas won the award in 2024.
 
Peachtree City, Ga., native Braden Dunham became the first Paladin to earn SoCon Freshman of the Year accolades since Jake Raine captured the honor in 2020. Dunham, an Atlanta United FC product, helped pace the Paladins to seven shutouts in 17 matches. He scored four goals, including a pair versus USC Upstate, and added two assists while starting all 17 matches at centerback as a freshman.
 
Head coach Doug Allison, in his 31^st and final season at the helm of the Furman program, was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the 10^th time after guiding the Paladins to a 12-1-4 overall record, 4-0-1 league mark, and the Paladins' 22^nd SoCon regular season title. Allison guided the Paladins to an undefeated record (2-0-3) against ranked opposition during the regular season as Furman climbed to No. 5 in the Top Drawer Soccer Top 25 and No. 14 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.
 
Joining Hernandez, Dunham, and Horvat in earning first team All-SoCon honors were sophomores Wilfer Bustamante and Luke Hutzell. Bustamante, a forward from J.L. Mann High School, finished the regular season second on the squad in goals (7) and assists (6). The Greenville, S.C., native scored a pair of goals in the season-opening win over UC San Diego and netted the match-winning goal, one of his three on the season, in a 2-0 win at Wofford to clinch the SoCon regular season crown. Hutzell, a product of Dacula, Ga., totaled three goals and four assists from the Furman midfield. After scoring one goal and adding an assist in the victory over UC San Diego, he netted goals in wins over VMI and Presbyterian.
 
Sophomore Ryan Wagner and freshmen Ryan Reid and Connor Stout were selected second team All-SoCon. Wagner, a native of Leawood, Kan., teamed with Dunham and Stout along the back line to help the Paladins to seven shutouts and registered his first goal in the Paladins' 21- win at UNC Asheville. Along with his steady work defensively, Stout, a native of Fairfax, Va., totaled four assists as a freshman. He started in 14 matches and notched playing time in all 17 contests. Reid finished the regular season with three goals and four assists. The Overland Park, Kan., native played in all 17 matches and logged 14 starts while scoring crucial goals against Gardner-Webb and ETSU.
 
Luke Munson, the Paladins' starter in 16 matches at right back, joined Horvat, Dunham, Reid, and Stout on the all-freshman team after totaling three assists as a rookie. The Little Elm, Texas, native assisted on goals in conference play against both VMI and Wofford.
 
Fifth-ranked Furman earned a bye into the SoCon Men's Soccer Championship's semifinal round as the No. 1 seed and will host the winner of Friday afternoon's ETSU-Wofford match on Sunday at 2 p.m. on Seagraves Field at Stone Soccer Stadium. Tickets to the match can be purchased for $10 by clicking here.
 
2025 SoCon Men's Soccer Postseason Awards
 
Player of the Year: Diego Hernandez (Furman), Jr., MF, Mesquite, TX
Goalkeeper of the Year: Ivan Horvat (Furman), R-Fr., GK, Bratislava, Slovakia
Freshman of the Year: Braden Dunham (Furman), Fr., D, Peachtree City, GA
Coach of the Year: Doug Allison (Furman), 31st Season, Bath, England
 
All-SoCon First Team
F – Enzo Dovlo (UNCG), Jr., Paris, France
F – Wilfer Bustamante (Furman), So., Greenville, SC
F – Junior Casillas (Mercer), Gr., Lexington, NE
M – Diego Hernandez (Furman), Jr., Mesquite, TX
M – Luke Hutzell (Furman), So., Dacula, GA
M – Julien Le Bourdoulous (UNCG), Gr., Quemperven, France
M – Kalle Rahbek (Wofford), So., Odense, Denmark
D – Braden Dunham (Furman), Fr., Peachtree City, GA
D – Sami Lachekar (UNCG), Sr., Metz, France
D – Eli Bannister (Mercer), Fr., Fayetteville, GA
GK – Ivan Horvat (Furman), R-Fr., Bratislava, Slovakia
 
All-SoCon Second Team
F – Nathan Simes (Wofford), Sr., Wellington, New Zealand
F – Arnaud Tattevin (UNCG), Sr., Rennes, France
F – Ryan Reid (Furman), R-Fr., Overland Park, KS
F – Steven Hernandez (UNCG), R-Jr., Winston-Salem, NC
M – Jaime Carrillo (ETSU), Amarillo, TX
M – Fernando Arteaga (Mercer), Sr., Jonesboro, GA
M – Issah Haruna (UNCG), So., Bolgatanga, Ghana
D – Jakob Andersson (Wofford), Sr., Stockholm, Sweden
D – Ryan Wagner (Furman), So., Leawood, KS
D – Kimito Fritz (UNCG), Sr., Tokyo, Japan
D – Connor Stout (Furman), Fr., Fairfax, VA
GK – Seth Wilson (UNCG), R-Jr., Frisco, TX
GK – Henry Hampshaw (Mercer), So., Holmfirth, England
 
All-Freshman Team
Braden Dunham (Furman), Fr., D, Peachtree City, GA
Eli Bannister (Mercer), Fr., D, Fayetteville, GA
Ryan Reid (Furman), R-Fr., F, Overland Park, KS
Ivan Horvat (Furman), R-Fr., GK, Bratislava, Slovakia
Connor Stout (Furman), Fr., D, Fairfax, VA
Sam Byron (Wofford), Fr., Ooltewah, TN
Will Taylor (Mercer), Fr., MF, Lawrenceville, GA
Emil Holmberg (ETSU), Fr., GK, Norrkoping, Sweden
Trym Linberg (UNCG), Fr., Bærumsverk, Norway
Manza Masamuna (Mercer), Fr., MF, Lawrenceville, GA
Luke Munson (Furman), Fr., D, Little Elm, TX
 
 
 
SoCon Men's Soccer Championship
First Round
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 7 – No. 4 ETSU vs. No. 5 Wofford (4:00 pm)
 
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 7 – No. 3 UNC Greensboro vs. No.6 VMI (7:00 pm)
 
Semifinals
Greenville, S.C.
Nov. 9 – No. 1 Furman vs. ETSU/Wofford winner (2:00 pm)
 
Macon, Ga.
Nov. 9 – No. 2 Mercer vs. UNCG/VMI winner (7:00 pm)
 
Finals
Nov. 15 or No. 16 at highest remaining seed (time TBD)
 
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