MAC Men’s Soccer Co-Players of the Week
Alberto Anaya, Bowling Green, Midfielder  
Freshman, Queretaro, Mexico (ITESM Leon)            
Bowling Green freshman Alberto Anaya had a five-point week as the Falcons opened MAC play with a pair of wins. Anaya scored the game’s opening goal and assisted on the winner as BGSU downed Georgia State, 3-2, on Thursday night. His goal came midway through the first half, and his assist was a diagonal ball that was headed home by Jacob Erlandson, breaking a 2-2 tie with nearly an hour gone. On Saturday evening, Anaya found the back of the net late in the first half, giving BG a 2-0 lead in an eventual 4-0 victory over Georgia Southern. Anaya has 12 points through 12 matches, and is tied for the team lead in both goals (4) and points, while ranking second in assists (4). The Falcons are 2-0-0 in the MAC and 9-2-1 overall.
 
Adrian Lara, NIU, Defender   
Junior, Shorewood, Ill. (Joliet Township)      
Adrian Lara scored the game-winning goal and helped the NIU men’s soccer team shutout fourth-ranked West Virginia on Saturday (Oct. 9) in the lone game of the week for the Huskies. The center back opened the scoring in the 35th minute, netting his first goal of the season, and the fourth of his career, as NIU earned its ninth consecutive victory. Lara and the NIU backline allowed just six shots, and just three on target, as the Huskies posted their seventh consecutive shutout. The fourth-ranked Mountaineers are the highest-ranked opponent NIU has beaten since knocking off second-ranked SMU, 1-0, on Sept. 19, 2008.
 

Other Nominees
Salar Faryar, Georgia State, Forward
Graduate Student, Frankfurt, Germany
Salar Faryar scored a pair of goals in Georgia State's 3-1 win over No. 13 Akron on Saturday night. The win was the first MAC win for the Panthers and the seventh time in program history knocking off a ranked opponent in program history. GSU is also tied for the national lead with six road wins this season. Faryar got the Panthers on the board with a remarkable bicycle kick in the 39th minute to give GSU a 1-0 lead. Just minutes into the second half, Faryar found the back of the goal again to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead. The goal proved to be the game-winning goal. Faryar shares the Georgia State lead with four goals this season and leads the team with 10 points.