Schmiege, Beerman Receive Weekly Honors from the A-Sun
10/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Spartanburg, S.C. – Marvin Schmiege and Tucker Beerman combined to help lead the USC Upstate men's soccer team to a key 2-1 victory over A-Sun foe Northern Kentucky Saturday night. Because of their central roles in the win, the two have swept the A-Sun weekly awards with Schmiege taking home player of the week honors and Beerman earning defensive player of the week accolades.
"The awards for Marvin and Tucker are well-deserved," said Upstate head coach Greg Hooks. "They have both played very well all year long and certainly made several key plays that led us to the win Saturday night. They are hard workers and great leaders on and off the field. I am very proud of them and their accomplishment."
Schmiege earned A-Sun Player of the Week honors after scoring two goals and leading Upstate to the victory over Northern Kentucky Saturday night. The win was huge because the Spartans entered the game in last place in the league standings with the Norse just one point (on a tie) ahead of the Spartans for the final A-Sun Tournament spot with just a couple of games remaining. Schmiege's efforts helped lift Upstate to the win and into a tie with Jacksonville, this Saturday's opponent, for fifth place in the conference.
With Upstate trailing 1-0, Schmiege tied the game with a goal in the 72nd minute of play. Ten minutes later, his second goal of the game delivered the win for the Spartans. In addition to the implications for Upstate's A-Sun Tournament aspirations, the goals were huge for Schmiege personally. The two-goal effort helped the junior midfielder from Berlin, Germany, break four Division I era school records. He now owns the top marks in career points, career goals, season points and season goals since Upstate made the transition to Division I in 2007, now eight seasons.
Schmiege currently owns the career records with 30 points and 12 goals. He owns the season records with 18 points and eight goals this year.
Beerman's efforts also proved to be crucial in securing the 2-1 win against NKU Saturday night. In addition to solid play throughout the game, the defender came up with two huge plays for the Spartans in the second half. The first came when the Norse attempted to clear the ball from deep in their own territory. At midfield, Beerman won the ball in the air and sent a header back into NKU territory to Joe Brinckwirth. Brinckwirth sent a one-touch header to Schmiege who put in the equalizer. Seven minutes later, Beerman made another huge play. With a Norse attacker one-on-one with Upstate keeper Jack Rubin, Beerman sprinted over and made a sliding tackle just as the attacker was taking his shot. Beerman knocked the ball away to save a strong scoring opportunity and three minutes later Schmiege knocked in the game winner.
Upstate swept the A-Sun weekly awards for just the second time in program history and the first since 2007, Upstate's first year playing on the Division I level and in the A-Sun. That year, midfielder Troy Simon and goalkeeper Jason McCabe swept the honors on Oct. 8 following back-to-back wins over league foes Lipscomb and Belmont. The Spartans have now earned three weekly awards this season, increasing the program total to 10 all-time. Joe Brinckwirth earned player of the week honors earlier this year on Sept. 15.
Though in a tie for fifth in the A-Sun standings, Upstate still has work to do the remainder of the regular season to remain in position to secure a spot in the A-Sun Tournament. The Spartans will battle Jacksonville Saturday night at 7 p.m. at County University Soccer Stadium in their final home game of the season. Upstate and JU are currently tied for the fifth spot in the league standings with three points, while Northern Kentucky will look to regain a leg up. The Norse currently have one point, but a win would put them at four points, making Saturday's Upstate-Jacksonville game crucial in securing a spot in the upcoming conference tournament.
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