FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2013
Courtesy of So. New Hampshire Athletics Communications
MANCHESTER, N.H. – After leading the Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team to the 2013 NCAA Division II national championship, senior Pierre Omanga was tabbed by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) as its Division II National Player of the Year on Thursday.
Omanga will receive his award at the NSCAA All-America luncheon in Philadelphia on Saturday, January 18, 2014.
"Pierre did an unbelievable job in a short amount of time adjusting to our system and our program. He deserves all the credit he is getting at this point," said So. New Hampshire head coach Marc Hubbard, who on Tuesday was named the NSCAA Division II Coach of the Year. "Every team at our level needs a go-to goal scorer and he produced all season when we needed him most. We are very happy for him and for our program to have a player get this kind of recognition."
Omanga, a Paris, France native, had a profound impact on the So. New Hampshire program in his lone season in a Penmen uniform. A consensus First Team All-American, earning the honor from both Daktronics and the NSCAA, Omanga finished the season with 21 goals and three assists for 45 points as the Penmen went 22-1-1, ending the season on a 23-game unbeaten streak and capturing the program's second national championship with a 2-1 win over Carson-Newman University on Dec. 7. He finished third nationally in total goals and sixth in total points as he led an offense that ranked fourth nationally in total goals (61) and 11th in goals per game (2.54).
The Northeast-10 Player of the Year and a unanimous First Team All-Conference selection, Omanga got off to a slow start adjusting to a new offense after transferring from the University of Montevallo, tallying a goal and an assist in the season's first five games. His breakthrough game came on September 25 against Saint Anselm College, as he finished with So. New Hampshire's first hat trick since 2010 and tallied three goals and an assist in a 5-1 win. From there, Omanga scored in 13 of the season's final 19 games, posting six multi-goal games and recording 10 game-winning goals on the season, helping the Penmen go 13-0-0 in Northeast-10 regular season play, the first time that has happened in league history, and capturing So. New Hampshire's third Northeast-10 regular-season title.
A three-time Northeast-10 Player of the Week, Omanga was named the Most Valuable Player of the Northeast-10 Championship after scoring three goals in three games, including the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Merrimack College in the final that lifted the Penmen to their second straight conference crown, as well as in So. New Hampshire's 1-0 semifinal triumph over Adelphi University. He was also named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the NCAA Championship after scoring twice in the tournament, including the eventual game-winning penalty kick with 4:23 remaining in the national title game.
"I was particularly pleased with how Pierre played in the national final because it proves he can do it in a pressure-filled envorinment," said Hubbard. "He has great composure in the box and can score every possible way."
Omanga is the second So. New Hampshire player to garner NSCAA National Player of the Year honors. Mounir Tajiou received the award in 2002 after leading the Penmen to the national championship game and totaling 24 goals and 11 assists for 59 points.
"We wish Pierre all the best in his future endeavors, including the upcoming MLS Player Combine," said Hubbard.
Congrats to @snhupenmen's Pierre Omanga, who has been named @NSCAA Men's Soccer National Player of the Year! #NE10 | http://t.co/jrvaGqMRlL
— Northeast-10 (@TheNortheast10) December 19, 2013
