Five Bulldogs Earn Big South Conference All-Conference Honors

FULL BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE RELEASE

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Five UNC Asheville Men's Soccer players have earned All-Conference honors from the Big South Conference, announced by the league today (Tuesday, Nov. 4).

Junior defender Lennart Granzow was named an All-Conference First Team At-Large selection, while senior forward Rodrigo Mendes, fifth-year defender Benian Yao and senior defender Viðar Ragnarsson were all named to the All-Conference Second Team. Redshirt freshman goalkeeper Lucca Barros was named to the All-Freshman Team, while Granzow was also named to the All-Academic Team.

Granzow has appeared in 14 matches making 11 starts in his first season as a Bulldog, scoring three goals on the back line for six points. He has played all 90 minutes in the last 11 matches for Asheville. Academically, he holds a 3.59 grade point average as a business major.

This is Granzow's first career All-Conference honor in the Big South. He is a native of Hamburg, Germany.

Mendes has played and started in all 15 matches this season, scoring four goals and tallying five assists for 13 points. Mendes is tied for 10^th in the conference in goals, tied for fifth in the league in assists and tied for seventh in the league in points. He has earned one Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor on the season, having scored two game-winners and executing one penalty kick. He was also named to the Big South Conference Midseason Watch List.

This is Mendes's first career All-Conference honor. The Vila de Conde, Portugal native is a computer science major.

Yao has appeared in 13 matches making 12 starts on the back line, scoring one goal and tallying one assist for three points on the season. He has played all 90 minutes on five occasions this season, being named to the Big South Conference Top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season.

This is Yao's second consecutive selection to the All-Conference Second Team. The Waxhaw, N.C. native is a business major.

Ragnarsson has played and started in all 15 matches this season, scoring one goal and adding two assists for four points off the back line. He has played all 90 minutes in 13 matches this season, including a streak of the last 12 this season. He was named to the Big South Conference Top Returners Watch List prior to the start of the season, as well as the Big South Conference Midseason Watch List.

This is Ragnarsson's first career All-Conference honor. The Rayjaensbaer, Iceland native is a double major in business and sociology.

Barros has played all 1,350 minutes between the pipes for the Bulldogs this season, totaling a 1.27 Goals Against Average, 36 saves and a .655 save percentage to go along with four shutouts. He has been named Big South Conference Defensive Player of the Week once this season, as well as being named to the Big South Conference Midseason Watch List.

This is Barros's first career All-Conference honor. He is a native of Mint Hill, N.C.

The Bulldogs return to action tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 5) to host USC Upstate in the Big South Conference Championship quarterfinal. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. from Greenwood Field, with video and live stats available at www.uncabulldogs.com.

University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics

Five Bulldogs Earn Big South Conference All-Conference Honors

Players Mentioned

Lucca Barros

Lennart Granzow

Rodrigo Mendes

Benian Yao

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