RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) announced on Friday that senior Mouhamed Pouye and freshman Victor van der Aa earned all-conference honors for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's soccer program in the 2026 season.
 
Pouye was named to the All-OVC First Team as a midfielder. The senior served as a captain during the 2026 season and ranked second on the team with four goals and 10 points.
 
Pouye is the first Vaquero to be named to an all-conference first team since MLS SuperDraft selection Bryant Farkarlun was named to the All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) First Team in 2023.
 
Pouye played all 90 minutes in 10 of his 14 starts, helping UTRGV earn wins over Southern Indiana and Western Illinois in OVC play and finish unbeaten at home for the first time since 1997.
 
Prior to the 2026 season, Pouye was named an OVC Preseason Player to Watch.
 
The freshman defender earned OVC All-Newcomer Team honors after appearing in all 15 matches for the Vaqueros. He also scored one goal and recorded two assists in 2026.
 
The freshman was a mainstay on a UTRGV defense that recorded three shutouts on the year which included a 5-0 win at South Florida, a 0-0 draw against Lindenwood in its OVC opener, and a 1-0 win over Western Illinois.
 
2026 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
First Team
Forward – Diego Robles, UIW
Forward – Xavier Gagnon, Western Illinois
Forward – Ryan Okerayi, HCU
Forward – Sergej Misic, Eastern Illinois
Midfielder – Mouhamed Pouye, UTRGV
Midfielder – Ricardo Garcia, HCU
Midfielder – Reagan Gyedu, UIW
Defender – Luke Neely, Lindenwood
Defender – Archie McDonnell, SIUE
Defender – Charles Chimezie, UIW
Goalkeeper – Quinn Closson, Lindenwood
 
Second Team
Forward – Ryley Gibbs, SIUE
Forward – Luca Bartoni, Lindenwood
Forward – Marcos Moore, HCU
Midfielder – Javaun Mills, Lindenwood
Midfielder – Daniel Murray, SIUE
Midfielder – Christian Rotundo, Southern Indiana
Defender – Andre Ecker, Eastern Illinois
Defender – Nico Kross, HCU
Defender – Clement Baron, Lindenwood
Defender – Fernando Adrados, Western Illinois
Goalkeeper – Harvey Heeps, HCU
 
Newcomer Team
Forward – Sergej Misic, Eastern Illinois
Forward – Marcos Moore, HCU
Midfielder – Javaun Mills, Lindenwood
Midfielder – Leland Gray, Lindenwood
Midfielder – Christian Rotundo, Southern Indiana
Defender – Victor van der Aa, UTRGV
Defender – Andre Ecker, Eastern Illinois
Defender – Clement Baron, Lindenwood
Defender – Milton Kapaya, Lindenwood
Defender – Charles Chimezie, UIW
Goalkeeper – Brady Cochrane, SIUE
Goalkeeper – Harvey Heeps, HCU
 
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