Five Wolves Earn Postseason Honors

JACKSON - The Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) released the Men's Soccer All-Conference and All-Region Honorees list on Wednesday, November 9. The Co-Lin Wolves have five players named as All-Conference with three of those making the All-Region list with both being the highest numbers of honorees on each list in program history.

The All-Conference honorees are sophomore forward Hardy Lewis (Brandon) along with sophomore defenders Eli Harrist (Brandon) and Solomon Naylor (Madison) as First-Team All-Conference honorees. Freshman goalkeeper Leo Summers (Cornwall, England) was named Second-Team All-Conference while sophomore midfielder Will Ballenger (Brandon) earned Honorable Mention All-Conference honors. Lewis, Harrist, and Naylor have also earned All-Region Honors as members of First-Team All-Conference.

Hardy Lewis had a sophomore season for the record books for the Wolves as he started and played in all 15 games this season. Lewis finished with a team-leading 17 goals and was third on the team with three assists while also leading the Wolves in overall points with 37. Lewis also finished with a 67.8 percent shot on goal percentage with 40 of his 59 shots being on-target throughout the season.

"Hardy has been clinical for us all season," said Co-Lin head coach Tom Cosgrave. "Scoring 17 goals not only with his head, but with his feet this season also. This season has proved why he is one of the top striker in the country. He is one of the hardest working players that I know."

Eli Harrist had a stellar sophomore season as one of the anchors of the Wolves defensive backline as he played in all 15 games starting in 14. Harrist had one goal and one assist for three overall points and finished the season with a 62.5 shot on-goal percentage with 10 of his 16 shots on target.

"Eli has been instrumental for us at the backline. He is our rock, captain, and leader of the team," stated Cosgrave. "He is a key part of why we had so few goals conceded during the regular season as he kept everything organized for our team and won key battles all season long."

Solomon Naylor had a fantastic sophomore season for the Wolves helping to anchor the Wolves defensive line while also featuring heavily in helping to keep the Wolves attack moving forward throughout the season. Naylor finished the season with two assists playing and starting in all 15 games.

"Sollie is our unsung hero. He does all the covering and dirty work that nobody notices," said Cosgrave. "He very rarely made any mistakes or lost his 1v1 battles while his long throw helped us out tremendously as well going forward on attack throughout the season."

Leo Summers had a superb freshman season as the Wolves goalkeeper playing and starting in net in all 15 games this season. Summers played 1347 minutes this season for the Wolves and allowed just 16 goals on 78 shots on goal faced throughout the season. He finished the season with a goals allowed average of 1.07, a 79.5 save percentage, and had 10 wins with seven clean sheets. Leo also earned MACCC Goalie of the Week honors twice and NJCAA DII Goalie of the Week honors once during the season.

"Leo has been excellent for us all season," said Cosgrave. "Coming in as a freshman and having seven clean sheets in a season is fantastic. He's an all-around quality goalkeeper both on and off the field."

Will Ballenger was a stalwart in the Wolves midfielder as he fought for control and possession of the ball playing in all 15 games with 14 starts this season. Ballenger finished the season with one goal and led the team in assist with five for seven total points while also having a team-leading 83.3 shot on-goal percentage with 10 of his 18 shots on-target.

"Will is one of the most composed players I've ever seen with the ball at his feet," stated Cosgrave. "His left foot is quality, and he can put a ball wherever he wants. He has had an excellent two season with us and has a very bright future ahead of him."

The Wolves 2022 season was the most successful in program history as the team finished 10-3-3 overall and 7-1-2 in conference play with both marks the highest number of wins in both categories. Additionally, the Wolves were ranked for the first time in program history climbing as high to No. 16 and qualified for postseason play for the first time in program history.