By: Cody Bush, Associate Commissioner / Strategic Communications
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo sweeps the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Week 7 Men’s Soccer Player of the Week honors, announced on Tuesday, with forward Nick Cenek, midfielder Joseph Delaney, and goalkeeper Esteban Gonzalez claiming the three awards.
Offensively, Cenek scored a brace at Adams State and a hat trick at Fort Lewis to account for five of the ThunderWolves' nine goals. On defense, Delaney supplied a goal and two assists against Fort Lewis after a two-assist outing at Adams State and led a defense that allowed only five shots on goal. In net, Gonzalez went 86-plus minutes against Fort Lewis without allowing a goal.
Offensive
Nick Cenek, CSU Pueblo (Graduate, Forward, Peoria, Illinois)
Cenek, who had three goals entering the week, broke out with five goals in CSU Pueblo’s road wins against Adams State and nationally-ranked Fort Lewis. In the ThunderWolves' 4-2 victory at Adams State, he scored the match’s final two goals, including the 61st-minute game-winner, and chipped in an assist. Cenek then provided the RMAC’s fourth hat trick of 2025 in the 5-0 victory, scoring in the 34th, 58th, and 87th minutes. He converted 83.3% of his six shots on goal in the two matches.
Others Nominated: Salvador Fernandes, Colorado Christian; Nathan Hernandez, Colorado Mesa; J McGill, Colorado School of Mines; Brendan O’Toole, MSU Denver; Elias Taubo, Regis; Nickolas North, South Dakota Mines; Cole Wearner, UCCS; Cam Neeley, Westminster.
Defensive
Joseph Delaney, CSU Pueblo (Junior, Midfielder, Sutton, England)
Delaney finished with a goal and four assists in CSU Pueblo’s victories last week. In the ThunderWolves’ 4-2 victory at Adams State, his helpers came on goals in the 28th and 74th minutes. Two days later, he scored the game-winning goal in a 5-0 victory against nationally-ranked Fort Lewis in the 22nd minute, then assisted on the next two CSU Pueblo goals (34th and 58th minutes). He also led a CSUP defense that allowed only 15 shots and five shots on goal in front of two different goalkeepers.
Others Nominated: George Jones, Colorado Mesa; Riley Liston, MSU Denver; Julian Fally, Regis; Jacob Miklas, South Dakota Mines; Soulo Letsoalo, UCCS; Kolson Helquist, Westminster.
Goalkeeper
Esteban Gonzalez, CSU Pueblo (Junior, Goalkeeper, Brussels, Belgium)
In his only action of the week, Gonzalez kept nationally-ranked Fort Lewis out of the net in a 5-0 victory. He made two saves in the win, which saw him play 85:26 in net before handing it over to the bench. It was the sixth shutout he has been involved in this season and his second combined shutout of the year.
Others Nominated: Nathan Beck, Colorado Mesa; Nick McNeil, MSU Denver; Zach Jennings, Regis; Daniel Freitas, South Dakota Mines; Hugo Sjöberg, UCCS; Tommy Manwaring, Westminster.
About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.
#EverythingElevated