This week both AAC Men’s Soccer Players of the Week are Cavaliers. Sophomore Howard Fisher, the Montreat goalkeeper, won Defensive Player of the week, racking up nine saves and allowing only one goal in two games last week. Freshman Troy Watson was named Offensive Player of the Week in the AAC for his performance in the games against Division II North Greenville University and King College. Watson, a midfield forward, scored a goal and had an assist in the 2-1 victory over North Greenville, and he scored twice in the 3-0 shutout against King.
Coach Riccardi says, “I told Howard [Fisher] that he had won Conference Player of the Week and he said, ‘Huh, I didn’t expect that.’ That’s just the way these guys are: They don’t gloat in their individual awards. They know those things are nice, but small in comparison to the big goal, a championship. They are very unselfish, and very much a family. I think that’s a huge reason that we’ve been so successful.”
Eight of the eleven regular starters for the team are international students. Argentina, Jamaica, Gambia and Sierra Leone are all represented when the Cavaliers take the field. Coach Riccardi says, “We love the fact that bringing in the international players gives them two opportunities. First, it changes their family tree – if they graduate, they’ll be able to get a job many of them would never be able to get before. Secondly, we share Christ with them in a way they might not ever hear somewhere else. Montreat is small, and the professors and coaches really care for them. We really love them and want them to succeed – that’s what really brings joy to our department.”