“TopDrawerSoccer Shines Spotlight on Shannon, Welsh, Hodgson, and Smith for Postseason Honors”

KALAMAZOO, Mich. — TopDrawerSoccer issued its postseason player rankings on Thursday. Redshirt freshman Christian Shannon, junior Carson Hodgson, senior Colin Welsh, and graduate athlete Owen Smith received TDS Postseason Top 100 honors for their contributions on the field in 2024.

Western Michigan University’s men’s soccer squad was the sole team in the Missouri Valley Conference boasting a student-athlete ranked within the top 50 of the Freshman Postseason Top 100. Moreover, WMU shared the MVC high of three selections in the TopDrawer Soccer Men’s Postseason Top 100 alongside Missouri State.

Freshman Postseason Top 100 

Christian Shannon — 16th  

In 21 matches (20 starts), the redshirt sophomore defender scored three goals—all of which were decisive—and added three assists throughout the season. In his first match against #14 University of Vermont on Thursday, August 22, the defender got his start and netted his inaugural career goal—the game-winner in WMU’s 3-1 triumph. Following his performance against the #14 Catamounts and guiding The Brown and Gold to a 1-0 away win over #9 University of New Hampshire, Shannon was honored as TopDrawerSoccer’s Player of the Week on August 27. Just under one week later, Shannon notched his first career assist in a 5-1 victory against Villanova on September 2. Two months later, on November 6, Shannon achieved a career-high three points in WMU’s 2-1 win over UIC by assisting on the opening goal and scoring the game-winner in the 80th minute. In his first postseason NCAA Tournament matchup on November 21 against SIUE, Shannon netted the game-winning goal in the 38th minute, propelling the men’s soccer team to the second round for a program record third successive year.

At the season’s end, Shannon was recognized for both his outstanding play on the field and his academic achievements. The defender was acknowledged with MVC All-Freshman Team honors, College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors, and was included in the CSC Academic All-America ® Second Team as one of nine Academic All-Americans to secure a 4.0 GPA. Recently, on December 12, Shannon was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region Second Team.  

Men’s Postseason Top 100

Colin Welsh — 22nd 

Welsh continues to garner postseason recognition for his outstanding performance in the goal during 2024: Last week, St. Louis City SC selected the goalkeeper in the third round (67th overall) of the MLS SuperDraft.  

In 2024, Welsh started all 20 matches for the Broncos, securing 11 victories (tied for the third-most in a single season for the program) behind four shutouts. In goal, the keeper achieved a goals-against average of 0.99 with 78 saves. Throughout the 2024 season, Welsh’s save percentage of 0.796 led all goalkeepers who played at least 1800 minutes in net. This year, the senior exhibited defensive prowess in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament first round against Evansville University on November 10, where Welsh delivered a season-high eight saves.

At the conference level, Welsh received MVC Goalkeeper of the Year honors along with two MVC Defensive Player of the Week distinctions. Subsequently, he was acknowledged for his remarkable performance in goal, earning a United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team recognition.  

Carson Hodgson — 26th 

This season, Hodgson participated in all 21 matches for WMU and netted six goals, including a career-high four game-winners. In terms of assists, Hodgson recorded eight throughout the season, featuring two games where he achieved three assists. 

In this preseason, the junior was named to the United Soccer Coaches Midfielders to Watch List and was ranked 40th in TopDrawerSoccer’s Preseason Player Rankings. After netting game-winning goals against #9 Northwestern and Air Force, Hodgson received the MVC Offensive Player of the Week title on September 10. 

One month later, on October 22, Hodgson achieved a personal best of six points after recording his first career hat trick in The Brown and Gold’s 4-1 away victory over Detroit Mercy. Following his honor as offensive player of the week, the midfielder was recognized as NCAA Men’s Soccer Player of the Week on October 23 by NCAA Digital after securing his first career hat trick in the Broncos’ 4-1 triumph at Detroit Mercy. Later, Hodgson was named MVC Offensive Player of the Week and included in TopDrawerSoccer’s Team of the Week on October 29 for his contributions against the Titans. 

At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Hodgson earned a spot on the All-MVC First Team and was selected for the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team for his excellent performance on the field.

Owen Smith  — 63rd

In 21 matches (15 starts), the graduate student had a record-breaking season on the field in 2024. He achieved a single-season program record with 17 assists, leading the NCAA, and netted six goals. 

Throughout the campaign, Smith recorded five multi-assist matches. Thanks to his impressive play, Smith finished the regular season with at least one point in nine of The Brown and Gold’s last 11 contests. His single-season performance was so notable that his 17 assists in 2024 rank ninth all-time in WMU’s career assists record book.  

On Tuesday, November 12, Smith was awarded All-MVC First Team honors. As further acknowledgment of his stellar play, Smith received his first career TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week honor on Tuesday, November 26, after guiding the Broncos to a 5-1 triumph over SIUE in the NCAA Tournament First Round with two assists and one goal on Thursday, November 21.  

Alongside Welsh and Hodgson, Smith was recognized with United Soccer Coaches All-Region honors for his contributions on the field for The Brown and Gold. 

 

For all updates regarding WMU men’s soccer, follow the team on Instagram, @wmu_menssoccer, X, @WMUMensSoccer, and Facebook, @wmumenssoccer.