Men's Soccer 11/4/2026 9:29:00 AM

Cumberland Sweeps MSC Major Awards; Seven Phoenix Earn All-Conference Honors

LEBANON, Tenn.--Cumberland men's soccer swept all five Mid-South Conference individual and coaching awards and placed seven players on the all-conference teams following its regular season championship.

Luis Cerejo was named MSC Player of the Year, Mark Donaldson earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and David Barbakadze claimed Freshman of the Year recognition. Brian Davies was selected Head Coach of the Year, while Hendrik Metje earned Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

Cerejo, Donaldson and Barbakadze joined Harold Perea on the All-MSC First Team. Pau Gelabert, Jostin Angel and Wesley Mendoza received second-team recognition. Donaldson also represented Cumberland on the Champions of Character Team, while 21 Phoenix earned Academic All-Conference honors.

Cumberland finished the regular season with a 10-1-4 overall record and an unbeaten 4-0-2 mark in conference play. The Phoenix outscored opponents 41-17 across 15 matches, averaging 2.73 goals per contest while recording four shutouts.

Cerejo joins Philipp Schmidtke, Francis Ikome, and Lucas Photivihok as the only players in CU history to be given the highest honor in conference play. The Portuguese midfielder led Cumberland with 25 points, scoring eight goals and distributing a team-high nine assists. Cerejo appeared in all 15 matches and recorded two game-winning goals. He put 21 of his 38 shots on target and earned MSC Offensive Player of the Week recognition on Sept. 14.

Donaldson anchored a Phoenix defense that allowed just four goals in six conference matches, including shutouts against Georgetown and Lindsey Wilson. He appeared in all 15 contests and contributed a goal and two assists while earning both Defensive Player of the Year and first-team honors. The Scottish captain is the first DPOY for the Phoenix since Bennet Strutz won it in 2018.

Barbakadze made an immediate impact in his debut season, leading Cumberland with 10 goals while adding three assists for 23 points. The forward scored twice on game-winning efforts and converted 10 of his 29 shots into goals. He earned MSC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Aug. 31 before closing the regular season with Freshman of the Year and first-team recognition.

Perea rounded out Cumberland's first-team selections in the midfield. He appeared in 11 matches and registered two assists, helping the Phoenix control play during their conference championship campaign.

Gelabert earned second-team honors in goal after appearing in all 15 matches. He recorded 39 saves across 1,305 minutes with a 1.17 goals-against average and a .696 save percentage. Gelabert was twice named MSC Defensive Player of the Week, receiving the award on Oct. 5 and Oct. 26.

Angel received second-team recognition on the back line after appearing in 13 matches. He helped Cumberland limit opponents to 9.1 shots per contest and contributed to a defense that went unbeaten through conference play.

Mendoza provided another consistent scoring threat, finishing with seven goals and three assists for 17 points in 14 appearances. He led Cumberland with three game-winning goals and placed 18 of his 34 shots on target. Mendoza earned MSC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 7 and Oct. 26.

Davies and Metje collected the conference's coaching honors after guiding Cumberland to the regular season title. The Phoenix opened the season with a 13-match unbeaten stretch and finished conference play with four victories and two draws. The Phoenix also climbed to their first-ever No. 1 ranking in the men's soccer programs history. Davies is the fourth head coach in men's soccer history to be named the Coach of the Year, the third of his career, while Metje collects the first assistants honor in program history.

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Players Mentioned

#9 Philipp Schmidtke: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#10 Jostin Angel: MF; 6' 0"; Junior

#7 Luis Cerejo: MF; 5' 9"; Junior

#8 Mark Donaldson: D; 6' 0"; Senior

#24 Wesley Mendoza: F; 5' 7"; Senior

#5 Harold Perea: MF; 5' 9"; Junior

#1 Pau Gelabert: GK; 5' 8"; Junior

#9 David Barbakadze: F; 6' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#9 Philipp Schmidtke
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#10 Jostin Angel
: 6' 0"; Junior
: MF

#7 Luis Cerejo
: 5' 9"; Junior
: MF

#8 Mark Donaldson
: 6' 0"; Senior
: D

#24 Wesley Mendoza
: 5' 7"; Senior
: F

#5 Harold Perea
: 5' 9"; Junior
: MF

#1 Pau Gelabert
: 5' 8"; Junior
: GK

#9 David Barbakadze
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: F