UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State men's soccer highlighted the 2026 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) postseason awards, earning three of the six major awards along with having seven student-athletes named to an all-conference team.

Third year mid-fielder Oleksiy Kharko (Mississauga, Ontario, Philip Pocock Secondary Catholic School) was named the GLIAC Player of the Year, while third year forward Matty Telfer (Newcastle, England, Sunderland College) and graduate student defenseman Kai Forsyth (Derby, England) were named the GLIAC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.

The trio of conference players of the year were also named to the first-team All-GLIAC team, with Telfer listed as a forward, Kharko in midfield, and Forsyth on defense.

Three more Cardinals were listed on the second-team All-GLIAC. Amadou Kouyate (Ann Arbor, Mich., Community HS) was a second-team forward, Adrian Hatman (Hîncesti, Moldova, Lucian Blaga) was listed in the midfield, and Josh Izu (Lagos, Nigeria) was among the defenders. Abram Freye (Muskegon, Mich., Mona Shores HS) was the SVSU honorable mention selection.

The Cardinals worked to a 9-1-6 finish this season including a 7-1-4 mark in GLIAC play, and a third-consecutive GLIAC regular season championship. SVSU outscored opponents by 1.37 goals per game, while surrendering just 11 goals all season to lead the league in both metrics.

Kharko is a team captain orchestrating the Cardinals from the middle of the field. He helped anchor the effort has SVSU leading the GLIAC with 11 goals allowed all season, 0.69 per game. The Mississauga, Ontario native helped limit opponents to 173 shots, just 58 on target, for a shot percentage of just .064. Kharko finished the season with three assists and  eight shots, with one on goal.

"I'm glad Oleksiy won this award because it goes to show that people are seeing all the work that he does that maybe isn't seen in a stat line or box score," said SVSU head men's soccer coach Louis Barrow. "Leks has consistently protected our back line, make tackle after tackle, won header after header and is a fantastic athlete. He is tenacious in his defending, and exceptionally composed under pressure in possession.

Telfer led the Cardinals in total points for the second-straight season after compiling 30 so far this year. He leads the team with 13 goals and is tied for the most assists with four. The Newcastle, England product ranks top five league wide in nearly every offensive category in the GLIAC, sitting second in goals (13), shots (55), shots on goal (37), and points (30). He was fifth in game-winning goals with two and seventh with his four assists. Nationally, Telfer sits second in shot accuracy (.673), fifth in shots on goal per game (2.31), 10^th in points per game (1.88), 11^th in total points (30), 13^th in goals per game (0.81) and total goals (13), and 17^th in shots per game (3.44).

"Matty Telfer has been the focal point of our attack this year and has had some really special moments. He led the front line very well and was rewarded. He worked exceptionally hard off the ball and took the chances he got. He rarely wastes good attacking moments and always makes good decisions in the final third which speaks to his composure and ability. We're lucky to have Telf and long may his form continue," said Barrow.

Forsyth is tied for second on the team with nine points, leading all defensemen in the GLIAC in scoring. He played a key role in the Cardinal defense limiting opponents scoring opportunities (11 goals allowed and 58 SOG). The Derby, England native has totaled three goals on 11 shots so far this year, with five on target. Forsyth punctuated his season with both goals, including his first game-winning strike, in the regular season finale against Northern Michigan that clinched the regular season title for SVSU.

"Kai has been a rock for us in the heart of our defense. He has led by example and shown great leadership and consistency back there. I think Kai would be the first to tell you he is backed up by other top players back there which adds to his team first mentality. Kai has been hard as nails for us and helped make one of the best defenses in the nation. He thoroughly deserves this award," Barrow said.

Kouyate is tied with Forsyth with nine points this season. He finished with 37 shots, 14 on goal. The second-year midfielder/forward has scored three goals and dished three assists, including assists on both goals in the season finale win over Northern Michigan that clinched the regular season title for the Cardinals. Kouyate's first goal came in the non-conference contest against NMU, and his other two scores came in the back-to-back games against St. Cloud State at the beginning of October.

Hatman completed the regular season with seven points, two goals and three assists, 21 shots (six on target), with both scores being game-winning tallies. The sophomore midfielder scored his first goal in the non-conference win over Northern Michigan with the other coming against Purdue Northwest at home.

Izu recorded three points as a defender for the Cardinals. His second assist of the season contributed to the game-winning score over Davenport in the GLIAC opener for SVSU. The fifth-year from Lagos, Nigeria has played 1,078 minutes and helped the dominant defensive effort this season.

Freye is another piece of the SVSU defense. He has started in 15 games for the Cardinals, playing in 1,157 minutes for SVSU this season.

The Cardinals earned the top seed in the GLIAC Tournament and will host the Semifinals against Roosevelt tomorrow at 11 a.m., at Braddock Field.