MADISON, S.D. -- A pair of Bellevue University men's soccer players were honored today when the North Star Athletic Association announced its Players of the Week for the week of Oct. 10-16.
Junior midfielder Edgar Guzman was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week while sophomore defender/midfielder Alejandro Pena was tabbed the league's Defensive Player of the Week. The awards are the first of each player's respective Bellevue career.
Guzman came on as a substitute on Saturday and was a high-impact player for the Bruins in their 5-1 victory over Jamestown. He scored a pair of spectacular goals for Bellevue, including the game-winner with his head in the 68th minute. He provided insurance in the 78th minute with his second goal of the match, a perfectly placed shot that was tucked just inside the goal post, to seal the Bellevue victory. Guzman is now tied for third on the team with three goals to his named to go along with an assist for seven points which is good for fourth on the club.
Pena was a key cog in the Bruin defense last week, helping Bellevue to a 5-1 NSAA win over Jamestown. In BU's only match he split time at right back and as a left wing midfielder. Defensively, he used pace and well-timed clearances to keep himself between the goal he was defending and the Jamestown attacking players to help limit the Jimmies to just two shots on goal for the game. Trailing 1-0 past the hour mark, Pena then had an impact offensively when he shifted to the midfield, assisting on three of Bellevue's five goals, including Guzman's game-winner in the 68th minute.
Bellevue is currently 7-6-2 overall and atop the NSAA standings with an unblemished mark through the first two games of the conference slate. BU has won four-straight games overall, out-scoring their opposition 14-5 during their current run.
The Bruins continue conference play when they travel to Aberdeen, S.D. on Saturday, Oct. 22 for a 2 p.m. kickoff against Presentation College.
