ENMU Sweeps SSC Players of the Week
Craddock, Holman honored by Conference

PORTALES, N.M. — The Eastern New Mexico University men’s soccer team (3-4-1 overall, 1-3-0 Southwest Soccer Conference) swept this week’s SSC Player of the Week Awards, it was announced Tuesday, Sept. 21 by the conference office. Sophomore goalkeeper Leif Craddock (Amarillo, TX/West Texas A&M University) was named SSC Defensive Player of the Week, while sophomore forward Jonathan Holman (Rio Rancho, NM/Rio Rancho HS) was awarded the conference’s Offensive Player of the Week.

The two players were crucial to the first conference win in the history of the program on Friday, Sept. 17, a 2-0 triumph over St. Edward’s University. Craddock kept SEU off the scoreboard while playing the first half, and Holman scored both Greyhound goals in the second half of the contest.

Holman scored Friday’s game-winner off a nifty pass from sophomore midfielder Brian Schonberger (Clovis, NM/Clovis HS). Schonberger knocked the ball through the defense and Holman sprinted around the outside, taking the ball deep in the offensive zone. He then cut sharply to the goal and chipped the ball past SEU goalkeeper Scotty McNabb from an impossible angle to give ENMU a 1-0 lead.

He scored his second of the afternoon after a clearing pass from defenseman Marcus Leyva (San Angelo, TX/Central HS) got past the SEU defense. Holman broke through the middle, kept his balance after colliding with a Hilltopper defender, and dribbled past McNabb to tap the ball home and give Eastern the 2-0 victory. It is the second time this season that Holman has been given the award, the first coming on Sept. 8. Holman is fifth in the conference in scoring with 10 points on four goals and two assists.

Craddock played a huge role in Sunday’s hard-fought 1-0 defeat at the hands of 10th-ranked Midwestern State University. The sophomore made six saves in the contest, including a brilliant diving stop early in the second half that kept the score knotted at zero. Craddock is fifth in the conference in goals against average at 1.66 per game. The sophomore is one of the keys to an ENMU defense that is fourth in the conference in goals allowed per game.

The Greyhounds are on the road this weekend for a pair of conference matchups as they face off with Northeastern State University (5-2-0 overall, 2-2-0 SSC) on Friday, Sept. 24 at 12 p.m. and with Missouri Southern State University (1-3-2 overall, 0-3-1 SSC) on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 12 p.m.