NEW ORLEANS – UCF redshirt junior forward Drew Hansen and Marshall senior defender Joao Roberto helped their sides pick up crucial Sun Belt men’s soccer victories last week and earned themselves Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors in week nine of the 2026 season.
 
Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Drew Hansen, UCF
(Redshirt Junior | Forward | Cleveland, North Carolina)
 
Hansen recorded his second multi-goal contest of the 2026 season with a brace in UCF’s 5-1 win over (RV) Old Dominion. He now paces the Knights with seven total goals on the campaign, topping his single-season career best.
 
The Cleveland, North Carolina, native is playing his third season with the Knights after redshirting as a freshman in 2023. He leads the squad with 15 points, seven goals, 22 shots, 13 shots on goal and a .591 shot-on-goal percentage. He also sports two game-winning goals this year. He ranks third in the Sun Belt in goals (7), third in points (15) and is tied-sixth in shots on goal (13).
 
Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week
Joao Roberto, Marshall
(Senior | Defender | Santos, Brazil)
 
Roberto, a native of Santos, Brazil, helped Marshall to a 2-0-0 week with road wins over UNC Greensboro (Oct. 13) and Coastal Carolina (Oct. 17). He came off the bench in both contests, taking the field in the 35th minute at UNCG before striking for the game-winning goal at 44:44.
 
He continued his hot streak into the conference weekend, again coming off the bench at Coastal Carolina in a tie game. While he played just 29 minutes, he scored with 2:12 to go to give Marshall a 2-1 advantage and the eventual conference win.
 
His defensive efforts also limited Thundering Herd opponents to just two goals on the week. Roberto was able to play up and down the field as a converted forward and assisted the Herd in their week’s success.
 
2026 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Offensive Players of the Week
Week 1 (Aug. 25) – Loïc Sany Kong, F, South Carolina
Week 2 (Sept. 1) – Alejandro Velaszquez-Lopez, M, South Carolina
Week 3 (Sept. 8) – Lewis Rourke, F, Old Dominion
Week 4 (Sept. 15) – Pablo Pozos, F, West Virginia
Week 5 (Sept. 22) – Loïc Sany Kong, F, South Carolina
Week 6 (Sept. 29) – Broden Beorlegui, F, Georgia Southern
Week 7 (Oct. 6) – Takahiro Fujita, D, UCF
Week 8 (Oct. 13) – Mitch Picksley, F, Georgia Southern
Week 9 (Oct. 20) – Drew Hansen, F, UCF
 
2026 Sun Belt Men’s Soccer Defensive Players of the Week
Week 1 (Aug. 25) – Will Devine, GK, Coastal Carolina
Week 2 (Sept. 1) – Takahiro Fujita, D, UCF
Week 3 (Sept. 8) – Sandro Rabarivony, D, Georgia State
Week 4 (Sept. 15) – Mika Habel, D, South Carolina
Week 5 (Sept. 22) – Erik Jaspers, GK, James Madison
Week 6 (Sept. 29) – Jacob Redenfors, D, West Virginia
Week 7 (Oct. 6) – Erik Jaspers, GK, James Madison
Week 8 (Oct. 13) – Brock Frasier, D, James Madison
Week 9 (Oct. 20) – Joao Roberto, D, Marshall