SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Fifth year defender Emmanuel Hagan of the UNC Greensboro (UNCG) men's soccer team earned The Southern Conference (SoCon) Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.

The Accra, Ghana, native was a key piece of the Spartans' defense last week, limiting opponents to just one goal on the week in two matches played. UNCG only surrendered one goal while hosting UNC Wilmington last Wednesday in an eventual 3-1 victory before shutting out the VMI Keydets, 1-0, on the road last Saturday in SoCon action. For Hagan, it marked his 11th and 12th games played this season participating in the full 90 minutes.

Hagan is in his fifth season at UNCG and has played the most matches of any student-athlete on the Spartans' active roster with 81 games played and 79 total starts. A key piece of UNCG's defense, he has only missed four matches since arriving on campus prior to the 2020-21 school year. With Hagan in the backfield, UNCG has shut out opponents 29 times for a 34.1% shutout percentage in the last five seasons. It includes a 46.7% shutout percentage this season, which is 18th in the nation.

"Unity is strength," said Hagan. "When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved."

This marks Hagan's second SoCon Player of the Week honor after previously winning the award on Sept. 28, 2021. Additionally, he is the fifth SoCon Player of the Week honor for the Spartans this season. Enzo Dovlo (Aug. 27), Seth Wilson (Aug. 27 & Sept. 17) and Baerwalde (Oct. 15) earned the previous recognitions.

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UNCG will conclude the regular season hosting ETSU on Senior Day at UNCG Soccer Stadium on Nov. 2 at 6:00 p.m.

All regular season home games are FREE admission. Saturday's game will have a food truck in attendance.