NEW ORLEANS – The 2018 Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer postseason honors were announced Tuesday to cap off an exciting regular season.
 
Top honors went to Appalachian State senior goalkeeper Jake Chasteen and Georgia Southern senior forward Javier Carbonell (Co-Players of the Year), Carbonell and Coastal Carolina senior forward Yazeed Matthews (Co-Offensive Players of the Year), Coastal Carolina junior forward Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Newcomer of the Year) and Georgia State junior defender Kyle Clinton (Defensive Player of the Year), Georgia State freshman midfielder Logan Luque (Freshman of the Year) and Georgia State head coach Brett Surrency (Coach of the Year) in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
 
Chasteen, Carbonell, Matthews, Ntsabeleng and Clinton were selected to the All-Sun Belt first team as well.
 
Chasteen turned in the best year of his career with Sun Belt bests in goals against average (.720), shutouts (7) and save percentage (.789). His seven clean sheets are tied for the second-most in a single season in school history. The seven shutouts are the most for the Mountaineers since 2011, while the 12 goals allowed are the fewest in the conference.
 
Carbonell, the Sun Belt's leading scorer and three-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week selection, ranks fifth in NCAA Division I in goals per game (0.93), tied for fifth in points per game (2.07), tied for seventh in total goals (13), tied for ninth in shots per game (4.00) and tied for 11th in total points (29). His 13 goals are just two shy of Georgia Southern’s single-season record of 15.
 
Matthews closed the regular season as one of the hottest players in the country, scoring goals in seven-consecutive matches and netting two goals in each of his last four matches. Over that stretch, he has scored 11 goals and 24 points (11 goals, 2 assists). Matthews also ranks among the nation’s top scorers –  tied for seventh in total goals (13) and tied for 11th in total points (29).
 
Ntsabeleng made an impact in his first season with the Chanticleers, playing in all 14 matches. He ranks third in the Sun Belt in points (16) with five goals and six assists. His six assists lead the team and are tied for first in the conference. 
 
Clinton anchored a Georgia State back line that conceded only 20 goals in 17 matches, including five shutouts. The MAC Hermann Trophy candidate notched one goal and one assist this season and played a big role in leading the Panthers to six-straight victories for the first time since 1987.
 
Luque contributed immediately in his first year at Georgia State, appearing in all 16 games and starting in nine. He scored his first collegiate career goal in a 2-1 victory over Gardner-Webb on Oct. 16 and has been a key player on a Panthers’ attack that has scored 22 goals.
 
Surrency led Georgia State to its first Sun Belt regular-season title on the strength of finishing conference play undefeated for the first time since 1989. His Panthers enter the 2018 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Championship with the No. 1 seed seeking to secure the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
 
The postseason honors were announced ahead of the 2018 conference championship, which gets underway on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at Eagle Field at Erk Russell Athletic Park in Statesboro, Ga., on the campus of Georgia Southern. All four tournament matches are set for live coverage on ESPN+. Follow the championship action via Twitter (@SunBelt) or live stats available on SunBeltSports.org. 

2018 SUN BELT MEN’S SOCCER POSTSEASON HONORS
All-Sun Belt First Team
Yazeed Matthews, Coastal Carolina (Sr., F, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Coastal Carolina (Jr., F, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Madrid, Spain)
Aris Briggs, Georgia State (So., F, Memphis, Tenn.)
Henrik Mueller, Coastal Carolina (Sr., MF, Potsdam, Germany)
Jeranimo Power, Coastal Carolina (Jr., MF, De Ar, South Africa)
Max Hemmings, Georgia State (Sr., MF, Wokingham, England)
Joel Cunningham, Howard (Sr., MF, Spanish Town, Jamaica)
Zeiko Harris, Appalachian State (So., D, Sandys Parish, Bermuda)
Felix Kollmannthaler, Appalachian State (Sr., D, Frankfurt, Germany)
Kervin Fadel, Coastal Carolina (Sr., D, San Jose, Costa Rica)
Kyle Clinton, Georgia State (Jr., D, Havant, England)
Jake Chasteen, Appalachian State (Sr., GK, Blowing Rock, N.C.)
Paul Tyson, Georgia State (RSo., GK, Liverpool, England)

All-Sun Belt Second Team
Camden Holbrook, Appalachian State (Fr., F, Cary, N.C.)
Tyrone Mondi, Coastal Carolina (So., F, Bloemfontein, South Africa)
Victor Guirma, Howard (Sr., F, New Platz, N.Y.)
Ian Bennett, Appalachian State (Sr., MF, Wilmington, N.C.)
Austin Hill, Appalachian State (Jr., MF/F, Graham, N.C.)
Alex McGrath, Appalachian State (Fr., MF, County Durham, England)
Samuel Mayer, Georgia Southern (Fr., MF, Stuttgart, Germany)
Gonzalo Talavera, Georgia Southern (So., D, Madrid, Spain)
Liam Fitzsimmons, Georgia State (Sr., D, Liverpool, England)
George Proctor, Georgia State (So., D, Leeds, England)
Carlos Caro, Howard (Jr., GK, Silver Spring, Md.)
 
Sun Belt Co-Players of the Year
Jake Chasteen, Appalachian State (Sr., GK, Blowing Rock, N.C.)
Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Madrid, Spain)
 
Sun Belt Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Yazeed Matthews, Coastal Carolina (Sr., F, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Javier Carbonell, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Madrid, Spain)

Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year
Kyle Clinton, Georgia State (Jr., D, Havant, England)
 
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Logan Luque, Georgia State (Fr., MF, Bonaire, Ga.)
 
Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
Tsiki Ntsabeleng, Coastal Carolina (Jr., F, Johannesburg, South Africa)
 
Sun Belt Coach of the Year
Brett Surrency, Georgia State