Though Bantam soccer finished their season just short of the region finals, the team brought home an impressive number of awards. Julien Fodisch (second team), Juan Rodas (first team), and Pedro Rocha (first team) were named All Region players while goalkeeper Colby Suber received an honorable mention. Mila Mzamane was also named first team All Region and received his second consecutive Region 10 Division 1 Player of the Year Award. This honor makes history for USCU Athletics, as this is the third player of the year award for Bantam soccer, following Mzamane’s win in 2023 and Nico Steinweg’s win in 2022.
“Winning these awards back-to-back is a good feeling,” said Mzamane. “I worked hard, but I also felt the support from my parents and my coaches.” He says that his plans for the future are to reach the highest level of soccer. “The sky is the limit,” he said. “I want to try to go pro.” His advice to younger players is to persevere even through challenging times. “It’s going to be tough, you will have good days and bad days, but don’t give up, embrace the pressure that comes with playing the sport.”
“I am impressed with the accomplishments of this year’s team,” said head Coach Marc Curlee. “Once again, we were able to achieve new goals that I have attempted to set year by year as head coach. This year we had 5 award winners and USC Union has now had the NJCAA Region 10 player of the year 3 years in a row. As we head into the spring season, I look forward to seeing where the sophomores will possibly go to continue playing soccer and continue their educations. We will train the freshman class for next season in hopes to continue the progression of the program here at USC Union. I would like to thank the University for its support to the men’s soccer program and my team for their hard work and dedication.”
“We are all super excited for Mila,” said Zach Simmons, athletic director. “We can talk for hours about how great of an athlete Mila is, but something that isn’t talked about enough is Mila’s attitude and how well-mannered he is. His parents should be extremely proud of this award for him, but they should be prouder of the great young man they have raised.”
“I’m extremely proud of the efforts of our men’s soccer team again this year,” said Campus Dean Dr. Randy Lowell. “They continue to improve as a unit, improving upon the previous year’s success, and ending the season with a first-round playoff win and overall winning record. In terms of accolades, they also continue to accumulate those, with multiple players voted onto the first-, second-, and honorable mention all-Region teams. Especially impressive, for the second year in a row, is to have Mila Mzamane earn Player of the Year in the Region, after having Nico Steinweg earn that distinction three years ago for us. And in addition to enjoying their success on the field, it’s always a pleasure to interact with these guys around campus, as they are a really good group of student-athletes who represent the campus extremely well.”
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