Manful Named Player Of The Year; Nine From Brandywine Earn All-Conference Selections

MEDIA, Pa. -- Chris Manful (Baltimore, Md./Woodlawn) was named Penn State University Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Player of the Year and was one of nine members of the Penn State Brandywine men's soccer team to earn all-conference honors from the league on Monday.

Joining Manful as first team selections were defenders Raymond Kelly (Middletown, Del./Middletown) and Kyle Reuter (York, Pa./Dallastown Area) and midfielders Alexis Cordova Bernal (Oxford, Pa./Avon Grove) and Lex Smith (Centreville, Va./ASU Preparatory Academy). Second team honorees included Liam Pheiffer (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty), Jayden Barragan (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) and Zack Bardwell (Boothwyn, Pa./Chichester), while Ethan Simpson (Frederick, Md./Oakdale) claimed honorable mention laurels.

Manful is the leading scorer in the PSUAC and nationally in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, having totaled 33 goals and 74 points. His 74 points were 34 more than any other PSUAC men's soccer player.

In 19 games, Manful produced at least two goals on seven occasions, including a a six-goal match against Penn State Hazleton and a seven-goal performance against Penn State Scranton. Manful netted goals against every PSUAC opponent Brandywine faced and in nine-of-10 matches against league competition overall.

Manful, Brandywine's second consecutive conference player of the year, also tallied eight assists, tied for the third-highest total on the team.

Kelly, who earned his second-straight All-PSUAC selection, started all 20 games at center back for the Lions, averaging nearly 90 minutes per contest. Kelly helped Brandywine's defense produce 14 shutouts, a conference-high total, while chipping in nine goals and one assist, offensively. Seven of Kelly's goals came against conference foes, including a three-goal game during a 9-0 victory at Penn State Beaver.

A sophomore, Kelly has started all 45 games for the Lions during the past two seasons, producing 13 goals and two assists.

Reuter, also a mainstay on the Brandywine back line, played in 17 matches this fall, starting 16. In addition to collecting a league high in shutouts, Brandywine's defense did not allow a PSUAC opponent to score a goal in 10 matches this season.

Offensively, Reuter tied for third on the team with eight assists. Five of his helpers came during the Lions' nine regular-season conference matches. He owns 17 career assists, along with two goals, in 27 career matches.

Cordova Bernal produced 19 points from his midfield position to earn First Team All-PSUAC accolades. He netted six goals and handed out seven assists, while starting all 20 games.

In Brandywine's season-opening win over Dickinson, Cordova Bernal scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second half for one of his three game-winning goals. He set a season high with four points (1G, 2A) in a win over Penn State Hazleton and also tallied a three-point game with a goal and assist against Division II Salem University.

Smith made a quick impact as a freshman, starting all 20 games in the midfield. He ranks second on the team in goal scoring, assists and points, while sitting in the top five in the conference in each category.

Twelve of Smith's 15 goals came in PSUAC matchups. Three times he scored two goals against a conference opponent and netted a season-high four goals and nine points in a win over Penn State Wilkes-Barre.

In total, Smith produced eight assists and 38 points, finishing third overall in the conference in scoring.

Pheiffer, Brandywine's third of four defenders honored, received his first all-conference selection during his final season with the Lions.

Pheiffer tallied a goal and two assists for four points, while playing in 19 matches and starting 15. All four of his points came in conference matches. He also aided the Brandywine defense in leading the conference in shutouts, goals against and shots allowed. The Lions' backline yielded just 14 shots to its 10 conference opponents this fall.

Barragan made 20 appearances and 17 starts for the Lions as a freshman. He posted a PSUAC and USCAA-leading assist total with 11 and added nine goals for 29 total points. Barragan tallied assists in four of Brandywine's final six matches, collecting seven during that time.

Barragan recorded two helpers in wins over Penn State York and Penn State Hazleton, while adding a three-assist effort against Penn State Wilkes-Barre. Barragan also notched two-goal games against Hazleton and Penn State Scranton.

Bardwell started 12 games, while playing in 19 overall. He finished third on the team with 12 goals and ranked second by posting nine assists. Bardwell is the fifth-leading scorer in the conference with 33 points, while standing third in helpers and sixth in goals.

In 10 games against PSUAC opponents, Bardwell produced a pair of two-goal performances and two multi-assist matches.

Simpson, a freshman defender, registered six goals and one assist during his 19 appearances this fall. He also helped Brandywine in recording the lowest goals-against average in the USCAA at 0.40.

Simpson's first collegiate goal came in a 1-1 draw at Immaculata. He also produced a two-goal game in a win at Penn State Scranton.

Brandywine (18-0-2)  plays for its sixth-straight conference championship Wednesday night in State College against third-seeded Penn State Lehigh Valley at 7:00 PM.