San Antonio FC defender Sebastien Ibeagha was named USL Defender of the Year, the league announced today. The award marks Ibeagha’s second league recognition following the 2017 season, adding to his inclusion in the USL All-League First Team after helping SAFC post the best defensive record in the league.

“We are honored as a club to have two individual awards in as many days,” said SAFC Head Coach Darren Powell. “Sebastien had some stand out performances this year and played an important role in our team’s defensive shape. He was able to come up with some big plays to help the team throughout the year.”

Ibeagha led the USL in clearances (190) during the regular season, and ranked second in minutes played (2,700) for SAFC. The center-back led the Silver and Black in several defensive categories, including clearances, aerial duels won (61.4 percent), interceptions (55) and blocks (20). He also helped SAFC record the fewest losses in the USL (four) while posting a league-high 15 clean sheets and conceding a league-low 24 goals.

“It’s truly an honor to win this award, but I would be remiss if I failed to mention how big of a role the entire team played in this accomplishment,” Ibeagha said. “We had a great group this season, and without them we would not have had such a great defensive record. I want to thank the USL for giving me this award, and I’m honored to be among the other finalists who had great seasons.”

Ibeagha recorded the second-most appearances on the team, featuring in 30 regular season matches. The former Houston Dynamo academy standout played a key role in helping the Alamo City club record the second-longest shutout streak in USL history, going 672 minutes without conceding a goal from April 28 to June 17. In addition, the defender helped SAFC record the fourth-longest unbeaten start to a season in USL history, going 14 matches without recording a loss.

His performances during the 2017 season earned him USL All-League First Team honors on November 8, while he also earned USL Team of the Week honors in the opening week of the 2017 campaign, before being nominated for USL Player of the Month for the month of May.

Ibeagha made one appearance for SAFC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, featuring in 120 minutes of play in the third round of the tournament against Tulsa Roughnecks FC, during which he helped the team record a shutout before its elimination from the competition on penalty kicks. During the team’s first-ever USL Playoffs run, the defender recorded 15 clearances, two blocks, and one interception in 210 minutes played.

The 25-year-old is honored alongside teammate Diego Restrepo who was named the USL Goalkeeper of the Year on Monday. Ibeagha originally joined SAFC prior to the 2017 season after spending the previous year on-loan at both Rayo OKC (NASL) and RGV FC (USL) from the Dynamo.

San Antonio FC concluded the 2017 USL regular season with a 17-4-11 record, finishing second in the USL Western Conference standings and earning their first playoff berth in club history. SAFC advanced to the Western Conference semifinals before being eliminated by OKC Energy FC on penalty kicks.