No Truman State men’s soccer player had ever won the GLVC’s Offensive Player of the Year award. Jacob Panagos just did.
The junior midfielder was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year and earned first team All-GLVC honors, the league announced Wednesday.
Panagos led the GLVC overall with 14 goals and 29 points. He ranked third with 49 shots and 26 shots on goal, started all 16 regular-season matches, and played 1,312 minutes.
In conference play, Panagos was second with 11 goals, third with 23 points and 44 shots, and fourth with 23 shots on goal.
Panagos had a hat trick in a 3-3 draw with Lincoln on Sept. 20 and two goals in a 2-0 win at Upper Iowa on Oct. 7. Panagos also buried Truman State’s first try in Sunday’s 4-3 shootout win over second-seeded Maryville after a 1-1 draw, which sent the Bulldogs to the GLVC Tournament semifinals for the first time.
It’s the program’s first major conference award since former coach Duke Cochran was named Co-Coach of the Year in 2022, and the second All-GLVC honor of Panagos’ career.
Brady Blum, a junior defender on the men’s team, and Kylee Bearden, a junior midfielder on the women’s team, were named Truman State’s James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees. The award goes to athletes who stand out for sportsmanship and ethical behavior while staying in good academic standing.
The Truman women finished 6-6-5 overall and 5-5-4 in the GLVC, 10th in the standings with 19 points.
The Truman State men play Missouri-St. Louis in the GLVC Tournament semifinals at 7 p.m. Nov. 6 at the Lake Country Soccer Complex in Springfield, Mo., the program’s first GLVC Tournament semifinal. The winner plays for the conference title Sunday.