ATLANTA, GA. – The Queens University of Charlotte men's soccer team made history on Tuesday afternoon as three Royals landed ASUN Weekly Honors, as officially announced by the league. The sweep marked the first time as a Division 1 program that the Royals took all three weekly honors. Mario Goic took home ASUN Player of the Week honors, Samuel Idinge was named ASUN Defender of the Week, and Javier Izquierdo-Cuervo was named ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week.
 
"These honors are well deserved and earned by Mario, Sam, and Javier," said head coach Oliver Carias. "They represent our collective team effort and work ethic in our first two weeks together. It is a great way to start our season."
 
In the Royals 2-0 victory over Winthrop on Monday night, senior Mario Goic led the offensive attack. In the 15^th minute, the Royals earned their first corner kick of the season on the right side of the field. Goic sent a beautiful left-footed ball into the box finding Samuel Idinge for a header into the left corner of the net. The assist marked Goic's second of his career. Just six minutes later, the Croatia native toed up a set piece from 25 yards out bending it over the Eagles block and into the top right corner of the cage for the dagger. The goal was Goic's fifth all-time as he is coming off a season in which he finished second on the team in goals.
 
On the backline, the ASUN Defender of the Week Samuel Idinge made multiple tackles in critical situations to halt the Eagles attack. The clean sheet was the first of the season for the Royals, and sixth since becoming a Division 1 program last season. In addition to stellar defensive play, the St. Petersburg, Florida native inserted himself into the offense with a header to score the first goal of the season. The early goal marked the center back's second career goal.
 
Between the pipes, sophomore Javier Izquierdo-Cuervo turned in his second career clean sheet with a dominant performance in the net. The Gijon, Spain native faced 10 shots on the evening picking up four total saves. Over the final 10 minutes of action, Izquierdo-Cuervo faced six shots and managed to keep the Eagles off the board. The weekly honor marked the second time that Izquierdo-Cuervo has been named ASUN Goalkeeper of the Week after earning the praise last season.
 
The Royals are set to return to action on Friday, September 1^st when they welcome UNC Asheville to Dickson Field. The second all-time meeting, and the first in Charlotte will be a battle after the Royals took down the Bulldogs 3-0 on the road for their first Division 1 win last season. Fans can secure their tickets for the match by visiting the Queens Athletics website.
 
Be sure to follow the Queens Women's Soccer team on Twitter and Instagram throughout the 2023 season to get the latest news and updates. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tik Tok to keep up with all the Royals in action.