Apolinario named Defensive Player of the Year, six Tigers named all-conference

Helping the Cowley College men's soccer team to a district title and a victory at the national tournament, freshman Thiago Apolinario was recently named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Jayhawk Conference/Region VI.

Apolinario (10 goals) was joined on the First Team by freshman defender Adriano Melo (six goals), sophomore forward Sora Funakoshi (12 goals, 11 assists), and sophomore midfielder Yuki Nakamura.

"I am proud of Thiago and very impressed with his first season in the United States," Cowley head coach Ruy Vaz said. "He is a top player but, most importantly, a great person. He deserves it, and I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him."

Freshmen defenders Andre Ecker and Vitor Hugo Lopes (three goals) were named Second-Team all-conference/all-region selections.

"We have been well-represented in the all-conference selections," Vaz said. "These players played their best and showed what it is like to be a Tiger."

Barton Community College's Lucas Constante (19 goals, six assists) was named the Offensive Player of the Year, and Barton's Rafael Simmons was named the Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars (18-4-4) to a conference title and a trip to the national tournament.