Men's Soccer | 11/7/2025 12:00:00 PM

OXFORD, Ohio- The River States Conference unveiled the award winners for the 2025 men's soccer season Friday afternoon, ahead of the resumption of the conference tournament. The regular season champions from WVU Tech swept the five awards, winning each of the major individual honors. The big winner was freshman Julen Recalde, who claimed the Newcomer, Offensive Player, and Player of the Year awards. Nicholas Ihnat won the Defensive Player of the Year award, and head coach Nick Semnani was honored by his peers as RSC Coach of the Year.

In his first season in a Golden Bear uniform, Julen Recalde was considered the top player in the league by the RSC coaches, winning Newcomer, Offensive Player, and overall Player of the Year honors. The freshman from San Sebastian, Spain was WVU Tech's leader with 12 goals and 25 total points. Recalde scored eleven of his 12 goals this season in conference play, scoring two or more goals in a match on three occasions. The freshman was twice named RSC Offensive Player of the Week this season.

The coaches of the River States Conference selected WVU Tech senior Nicholas Ihnat as the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year. On the back end, Ihnat played a major role in one of the nation's top defenses, with the Golden Bears allowing just ten goals in 16 matches and only allowing opposing teams 58 shots on goal. The ten goals allowed included just six goals in ten conference matches. On the offensive end, Ihnat finished the season with ten points, scoring four goals and assisting on two more.

In his second season as the head coach at WVU Tech, Nick Semnani guided the Golden Bears to an undefeated record of 14-0-2. The Golden Bears went 9-0 in regular season play, winning the River States Conference regular season title. Entering Saturday's RSC Tournament semifinals, WVU Tech ranks fifth in the nation in goals against average, and appears in the national rankings - slotting in at No. 18 in the NAIA Coaches' Poll and ranking eighth in the nation in the newest RPI release.

The 2025 River States Conference Tournament is scheduled to continue on Saturday with the semifinal round. Top seeded WVU Tech will play host to fifth-seeded Midway, while third-seeded Oakland City will head to Rio Grande for a matchup with the second-seeded RedStorm. The winners will meet on Wednesday to determine the conference's automatic berth into the NAIA Tournament.