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Freshman Kurt Olsen of the United States Merchant Marine Academy men’s soccer team was named Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year. The announcement was made by the conference office on Wednesday morning. This is the first time Olsen has been honored by the conference.

 

Olsen finished the season with a total of five points (two goals and one assist). He anchored a defense that only allowed 15 goals on the season and recorded seven shutouts. Olsen proved to be a force in the back field for the Mariners as he came up big on multiple occasions to help clear the ball out.

 

"Kurt Olsen did a terrific job of adjusting to the college game and played a major role in our success this season," said Head Coach Michael Smolens. "It's a challenge for a freshman to step into a central back position and match up physically against a number of top opponents we faced and Kurt did just that.  He always remains calm on the ball in the back and has played solid defense all season long.  Along with the rest of our defensive unit, Kurt helped the team limit the number of chances other teams had, and helped us lead us to some very important wins."

 

The Mariners are still in action as they travel to Swarthmore, PA to take on Swarthmore College in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. Game time is slated for 7:30 pm. During the season the Mariners tied a school record with a 14 game winning streak.