BOSTON – Awards continue to roll in for Suffolk men's soccer's Christian Restrepo as the sophomore has been recognized as United Soccer Coaches (USC) Player of the Week, the national organization announced Tuesday afternoon.
The national award marks the third of the week and of Restrepo's career as the forward was also named the GNAC Corvias Player of the Week, as well as a nominee for HeroSports.com DIII Men's Soccer HERO of the Week, which can be voted on here. Restrepo is the first Ram to be honored with the nationally weekly accolade.
The accolades come on the heels of a 1-1 week for the Rams in which Restrepo netted four goals. To get the week going, Restrepo put away three goals to lift the blue-and-gold to a 5-2 victory at Emerson. The natural hat trick marks the first for Restrepo and the first for a Ram since Alberto Bittan contributed three goals in one game Sept. 17, 2016 in a 4-2 win over Regis.
In the GNAC opener against Albertus Magnus Saturday, Restrepo used an assisted strike with just five minutes to go in regulation to pull the Rams within one of the Falcons. The tally would not be enough, however, as Suffolk could not complete the comeback and fell 2-1.
Restrepo's late strike in the conference debut kept his point streak alive and stretched it to four straight. Through the first four games of Suffolk's 2017 season, Restrepo has recorded at least one point in each to bring his yearly total to 11 points on five goals and one handout. His points and goals not only lead Suffolk, but the league and sit 10th and 20th, respectively, across NCAA DIII. Restrepo's streak marks the longest for a Ram in four seasons since Alberto Banhum put a four-game streak together from Sept. 28-Oct. 9, 2013.
With a week to prepare, Suffolk turns its attention to Mount Ida as the Rams and Mustangs are set for a Saturday, Sept. 16 clash at James A. Sartori Stadium at East Boston Memorial Park at 1 p.m.