Marshall’s Matthew Bell and South Carolina’s Ben Alexander have been named Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Players of the Week after leading their respective squads to victories over ranked opponents in week one of league action. For Bell, the honor marks his second of the season.
Offensive Player of the Week
Matthew Bell, Marshall
[So. | F | Kingston, Jamaica]
Matthew Bell played a vital role in a pair of Herd victories last week with a pair of goals and an assist. At No. 9 James Madison in the team’s conference opener on Saturday, Bell scored the game-winning goal, his sixth of the season, in the 56th minute to help Marshall to a 3-1 Top-10 victory. On Tuesday in a 5-0 win over Cleveland State, the Kingston, Jamaica, native tallied a goal and an assist, his then-fifth goal and fifth assist on the year. The contest marked his third multi-goal contribution match this season and his fifth multi-point game. Bell leads the country with 17 points on his six goals and five assists through seven games played.
Defensive Player of the Week
Ben Alexander, South Carolina
[So. | GK | Chilliwack, British Columbia]
Ben Alexander recorded four saves in a shutout win over No. 24 Kentucky to open Sun Belt play on Friday. The Gamecocks keeper stopped a penalty kick in the first minute of the match before shutting out the Wildcats at home for the first time in almost a year. The victory marked the first for South Carolina over Kentucky since 2014, and the first time on the road since 2012. It was also the first ranked win for the Gamecocks since 2019.
2023 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Matthew Bell, Marshall
Week 2 – Marco Silva, Marshall
Week 3 – Marcus Caldeira, West Virginia
Week 4 – Matthew Bell, Marshall
2023 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 – Luca Nikolai, James Madison
Week 2 – Zane Bubb, UCF
Week 3 – Carlos Hernando, West Virginia
Week 4 – Ben Alexander, South Carolina
