In exclusive voting by the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, a program-best seven Celts would be named to the All-SCAC team. Luis Bencomo would be selected as the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year while Daniel Castro picked up SCAC Newcomer of the Year honors. Furthermore, Head Coach Ian Clerihew would be tabbed SCAC Coach of the Year.
Bencomo, senior defender and team captain from Barquisimeto, Venezuela, anchored a Celt defensive squad that surrendered the fewest goals in league play, allowing just five goals in eight conference games with a goals-against-average of 0.57. St. Thomas finished second in both goals allowed (14) and goals-against-average (0.72) as well as shutouts (nine) for the entirety of the 2021 season. Bencomo also pitched in offensively for the Celts, scoring three goals and assisting on six others (sixth in the SCAC in assists) for 12 points, with two of his goals and half of his assists coming during conference competition. He assisted on the game-winner in St. Thomas' 1-0 victory over Trinity in the championship match of last weekend's conference tournament. In just the program's third year in the conference, Bencomo is the second St. Thomas player to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors, following former teammate Carlos Marquez who earned the honor following the 2019 season. Bencomo would also be named First Team All-SCAC for his final season.
Castro, the first year forward from Houston, Texas, led the Celts and is currently ranked third in the conference in both goals scored (12) and points (28). Once conference play kicked in, no one produced more than Castro as he led the league in goals scored (eight) and points (18), which included game-winners against Colorado College (Oct. 24) and Austin College (Oct. 31). He assisted on the game-winner in Friday night's 1-0 win over Southwestern – the Celts' only shot on goal the entire contest – a victory that propelled UST into the conference championship match where they defeated Trinity by the same 1-0 score. Castro is the second consecutive St. Thomas player to earn Newcomer-of-the-Year honors, following teammate Ian Alvarez who picked up the accolade following the league's shortened 2020-21 season which concluded earlier this calendar year. Castro's impressive freshman season would land him on the All-SCAC Second Team. He also finished second in voting for the Offensive Player of the Year.
In his fifth season at the helm at the Men's Soccer program, Ian Clerihew led the Celts to the program's first-ever SCAC Tournament title, culminating with a 1-0 victory over top-seeded Trinity in the championship match. It marked the second consecutive year the Celts made it to the tournament final as Clerihew's squad fell just short in PKs to the host institution Centenary during the COVID-shortened spring season. In three seasons in the SCAC, St. Thomas has produced a cumulative 16-4-4 conference mark and the Celts are 44-25-13 overall since Clerihew arrived on campus five seasons ago.
Joining Bencomo on the All-SCAC First Team would be sophomore midfielder Ian Alvarez. Alvarez would net four goals for the Celts, three of which being in conference play. He would accumulate for eight points on the season and would start in ten of St. Thomas' matches.
Alongside Castro on the All-SCAC Second Team would be junior defender, Fabrizio Policastro and sophomore goalkeeper Rodrigo Lazo. Policatsro would help lead one of the toughest defenses in the league for a second consecutive year. While recording nine clean sheets for the 2021 season, and only allowing five goals, Policastro has proven to be a top defender in the region. Coming off a First Team All-SCAC season in his freshman campaign, Rodriogo Lazo yet again impressed, earning Second Team honors. The keeper from Katy, Texas would record 59 saves on the year while logging a 0.76 goals against average. With his 12-2-4 record, Lazo would also grab seven shutouts to go along with his .808 save percentage.
Wrapping up the Celts All-Conference nods would be Andres Marquez and Gabe Salako, receiving SCAC Honorable Mention. Marquez, a senior defender from El Paso, Texas would be a part of the St. Thomas backline that flustered many attacks. Marquez would also pitch in offensively with two goals and four assists on the season. Salako, a senior forward from Lagos, Nigeria would help lead the Celts dangerous attack that ranked fourth in the SCAC. For the season, Salako would net six goals, including a hat-trick in less than 30 minutes of play.
