Fort Lewis College Athletics

MSOC Players of the Week, Anton Hjalmarsson, Adnan Elaqad - Oct. 31, 2023

Hjalmarsson, Elaqad take home final RMAC men’s soccer offensive and defensive players of the week

10/31/2023 2:30:00 PM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Fort Lewis College men's soccer freshman forward Anton Hjalmarsson and junior defensemen Adnan Elaqad have captured the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's final men's soccer offensive and defensive players of the week awards after guiding the Skyhawks the RMAC Regular Season title.

After forcing a 2-2 tie with Westminster University in the final minute of play last Thursday, Fort Lewis knew its season came down to the final match at Colorado Mesa University last Sunday.

The weekly honors are the third and fourth for a Skyhawk this season and the first and second for Elaqad and Hjalmarsson, respectively. It also marks the first time FLC has garnered four or more players of the week through a single season since 2011 (five).

Hjalmarsson, a true freshman native of Smålandsstenar, Sweden, guided the front line and FLC to a resounding 3-0 win over the 17^th-ranked Mavericks to capture the regular season title. Hjalmarsson sent four shots on frame among his five across the match. Scoring the match's opening goal, Hjalmarsson found the back of the net in the 27^th minute on service from Loic Jean-Baptiste into the box. In the second half, Hjalmarsson found himself one-on-one behind the Mavs back line before besting the keeper and finishing on the opening net to seal the match and season title.

Elaqad, a recent transfer and National Junior College Athletic Association First Team All-American, tallied his first career gold donning the blue and gold. In the 37^th minute, David Citron sent a set piece from the right corner into the box. Elaqad, standing at six-foot-four, jumped untouched through the box and high-pointed the incoming ball with a header for the match's second goal. Elaqad also led the Skyhawks' back line that held the high-powered CMU offense scoreless on 12 total shots, five shots on goal, and seven corners: six of which came in the second half.

Hjalmarsson finished the regular season among the conference's best as he tied teammate Gabriel Legendre with the second-most goals (10), tallied the second-most assists (8), the fourth-most game-winning goals (3), and the second-most total points (28).

Fort Lewis now looks ahead to Sunday, Nov. 5, as the Skyhawks will host the RMAC Tournament Semifinal at 5:00 p.m. on Dirks Field. FLC will play the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal match between fifth-seeded Westminster University and fourth-seeded University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

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