Bjorgolfsson, Grassow Earn Sun Belt Preseason POY Honors
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2022 preseason awards Monday afternoon with seniors Eythor Bjorgolfsson, Luis Grassow and fifth-year Robert Screen earning honors.
The Wildcats were picked to finish third overall in the conference preseason coaches poll behind West Virginia and Marshall.
Bjorgolfsson was awarded Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. The Jessheim, Norway native has been a standout for the Kentucky offense. Throughout his career in Lexington, Bjorgolfsson has tallied 14 goals and eight assists. He has hit 30 of his 62 shots on goal seeing his highest tally as a freshman with 11 out of 23 on target. The senior has logged 2,514 minutes of play throughout 49 games played and 25 shots.
Bjorgolfsson has earned numerous C-USA and Southeastern Conference awards both for his athletic performance and hard work in the classroom. He was respectfully named to the C-USA All-Tournament teams in 2020 and 2021 earning tournament offensive MVP honors last season.
Grassow was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Grassow has been a force to reckon with on defense for the Cats. The 6-foot-1 defender has made an appearance on the pitch in 38 matches seeing 35 starts for a total of 3,299 minutes. Scoring three goals last season with four assists, Grassow has proved to be versatile on the field. The Munich, Germany native saw a season high of 110 minutes played last season against SEC-rival South Carolina.
Like his fellow teammate and Sun Belt honoree, Grassow has also earned numerous awards for his athletic and scholastic performances. His biggest honor was received last season when he was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region First Team while also becoming a Scholar All-American for the organization. C-USA named the senior Tournament Defensive MVP as well.
Screen joined both Bjorgolfsson and Grassow on the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team. Screen, a native of Raleigh, N.C., has found himself honored with numerous conference athletic and academic awards throughout his career. With 5,114 minutes tallied on the pitch, the defender has hit 13 of his 34 shots fired on target, with two goals and a baker’s dozen of assists.
For the full list of Sun Belt preseason awards, see below.
2022 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Preseason Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Eythor Bjorgolfsson, Kentucky (Sr., F – Jessheim, Norway)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Luis Grassow, Kentucky (Sr., D – Munich, Germany)
2022 Men’s Soccer Preseason All-Sun Belt Team*
Alvaro Garcia-Pascual, Coastal Carolina (So., F – Benalmadena, Spain)
Luca Erhardt, James Madison (RS Sr., F – Offenbach, Germany)
Eythor Bjorgolfsson, Kentucky (Sr., F – Jessheim, Norway)
Milo Yosef, Marshall (RS Sr., F – Aachen, Germany)
Ross Finnie, Georgia State (Sr., M – Carnoustie, Scotland)
Rodrigo Robles, James Madison (RS Jr., M – Burgos, Spain)
Vinicius Fernandes, Marshall (Gr., M – Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Luis Grassow, Kentucky (Sr., D – Munich, Germany)
Robert Screen, Kentucky (5th Yr., D – Raleigh, N.C.)
Gabriel Alves, Marshall (Jr., D – Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Bjarne Thiesen, West Virginia (RS Jr., D – Kiel, Germany)
Oliver Semmle, Marshall (Gr., GK – Au Am Rhein, Germany)
* Team Expanded Due to Ties in Voting
2022 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
- West Virginia – 75 (5)
- Marshall – 72 (3)
- Kentucky – 69 (1)
- South Carolina – 41
- T5. Coastal Carolina – 39
- T5. James Madison – 39
- Georgia State – 35
- Old Dominion – 20
- Georgia Southern – 15
The third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats were recently placed in the top-10 of the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. Their 2022 season will officially begin at the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex on Aug. 25 against the University of Illinois Chicago, following its final exhibition match of preseason on Friday Aug. 19 against NKU.
For the latest on the Kentucky’s men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSocer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
