USC Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The United Soccer Coaches (USC) awarded Messiah senior forward
Nick West the highest honor an individual can achieve in Division III soccer, naming him the 2018 National Player of the Year.
West becomes the 10th Falcon in Messiah men's soccer history to be named National Player of the Year, with all 10 honors coming in the last 17 seasons.
"
Nick West had an amazing year," Messiah head coach
Brad McCarty said. "He was a great player up top that produced consistently over the course of the entire season and then, in the postseason, he somehow finished even stronger."
West's year was a historic one even in the landscape of Messiah soccer. He led the nation with 30 goals, notching at least one tally in 18 of the Falcons' 23 games. After being held scoreless in the first match of the season, West netted a hat trick on Sept. 1 against Whitworth with all three goals coming in a 20-minute span late in the second-half, leading Messiah to a 3-0 victory.
That hat trick was the first of three for West during his senior campaign and kicked off a streak of 15-straight matches with at least one goal for West. That run not only shattered the previous Messiah record for consecutive games with a goal (nine by Ken Long in 1975 and Jim Blouch in 1981), but also tied the all-time NCAA Division III record set by Matthew Doran (Johns Hopkins) in 2000 and Tim Trava (St. Joseph's (LI)) in 2002.
"The streak was impressive as it ran on and it wasn't like teams didn't key in on him," said McCarty of West's goal-scoring stretch. "He was a Final Four MVP (last season) that scored 14 goals as a junior. People knew who he was."
Despite defenses keeping a close eye on him every game, the East Hampton N.Y. native scored the second-most goals in a single season in Messiah men's soccer history. West's ability to score in a variety of different methods allowed him to finish his senior season just one goal shy of the all-time program record of 31 set by Adrian Oostdyke more than four decades ago in 1973.
"I thought the 31 goals that (Adrian) Oostdyke scored in '73 was simply untouchable, but Nick showed that it necessarily wasn't," said McCarty. "Nick's work rate and his area of influence allowed him to score in a variety of different ways. He can score in the run of play, via the system, via his teammate, on breakaways, on free kicks, off corners, and on penalty kicks."
West finished the season tied for the second most points in a single season in program history and the most in the nation with 66 on the year, adding six assists to his 30 goals. West becomes just the 18th different player in NCAA Division III history with 30 goals in a single season.
A four-time All-MAC Commonwealth honoree in his career, West earned his first MAC Commonwealth Offensive Player of the Year, All-Region, and All-America honors this season. While his play in the regular season was phenomenal, West seemed to hit another gear in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, West scored three goals and added three assists in the NCAA Tournament and this year he was even better, netting six goals and adding two helpers as Messiah advanced to the Elite Eight.
Messiah's Sweet Sixteen match against SUNY Cortland might have been one of the finest efforts in West's career. With Messiah trailing 1-0 in the 70th minute, West showcased his variety of scoring methods with three different style goals in a span of 16 minutes. First, West hammered home a header to tie the game before hitting a free kick from 29 yards out under the bar to take the lead. He capped off the victory with a penalty kick as Messiah claimed a 3-2 victory.
"Nick's greatest attribute is his work ethic, both on the field and in preparation. It's his durability, strength, and fitness that allowed him to play as many minutes as he did at as high of a level as he was able to," said McCarty of what makes West a tremendous player. "What's unique about Nick is both his footwork prior to and his ability to get his shots on goal. And he just hits it so hard."
West finishes his career with top-15 marks in Messiah history in all three major offensive categories with 56 goals (seventh), 26 assists (t-11th), and 138 points (ninth).
