Tulsa’s Bottenburg Named American Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
8/18/2025 10:08:00 AM | Men's Soccer
IRVING, Texas — Golden Hurricane men's soccer standout Wes Bottenburg has been tabbed the American Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Monday.
A defender from Utrecht, Netherlands, Bottenburg is coming off a junior season in which he started in 13 of 14 games played and spent 1,167 minutes on the field. He netted two goals to finish as the fourth-highest scorer on the team while bolstering Tulsa with strong defensive play throughout the season to earn First Team All-Conference honors.
Bottenburg was also named to the 16-player American Preseason All-Conference Team.
Tulsa officially kicks off the regular season this week Thursday, Aug. 21, with a home tilt against CSUN at 7:00 p.m. The Golden Hurricane will immediately follow up with two more home games in the Hurricane Soccer Stadium against Cal State Fullerton (Aug. 24) and Central Arkansas (Aug. 29).
2025 American Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
(#) denotes first place votes
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Mamadou Diarra, Gr., F, Florida Atlantic
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Wes Bottenburg, Sr., D, Tulsa
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Leo Stritter, Sr., Charlotte
Filip Sabatti, Jr., Memphis
Preseason All-Conference
Mathis Richter, So., D, UAB
Natsuki Ogata, Jr., F, Charlotte
Leo Stritter, Sr., GK, Charlotte
Mamadou Diarra, Gr., F, Florida Atlantic*
Aboubacar Traore, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
Sebastian Zettl, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
João Domíngues, Sr., D, FIU
Eduardo Mustre, Sr., F, FIU
Owen Travis, Gr., D, FIU
Lucho Galizi, 6th, F, Memphis*
Ryan Ruguaru, So., D, Memphis
Filip Sabatti, Jr., GK, Memphis
Alex Matthews, Jr., M, Missouri State
Pedro Faife, Jr., M, South Florida*
Tyler Richardson, So., D, South Florida
Wes Bottenburg, Sr., D, Tulsa
* denotes unanimous selection
Men's Soccer Ticket Information
Single-game tickets are on sale for $10 per match and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the gate. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive one membership card per ticket ordered that will be good for all 2025 TU men's and women's regular season home matches at the Hurricane Soccer Stadium. Season tickets are not valid for any postseason games. No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.
Ball Kid Sign-ups
The Tulsa soccer teams are looking for more ball kids for the 2025 season. Ball kids and one accompanying parent or guardian will receive free admission for games they sign up for. Ball kids will retrieve balls that go out of bounds on the sidelines for the entire game. The minimum age to be a Ball Kid is 8 years old. Kids ages 13 or older are not eligible to participate. Groups will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up by clicking HERE.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the men's soccer program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
A defender from Utrecht, Netherlands, Bottenburg is coming off a junior season in which he started in 13 of 14 games played and spent 1,167 minutes on the field. He netted two goals to finish as the fourth-highest scorer on the team while bolstering Tulsa with strong defensive play throughout the season to earn First Team All-Conference honors.
Bottenburg was also named to the 16-player American Preseason All-Conference Team.
Tulsa officially kicks off the regular season this week Thursday, Aug. 21, with a home tilt against CSUN at 7:00 p.m. The Golden Hurricane will immediately follow up with two more home games in the Hurricane Soccer Stadium against Cal State Fullerton (Aug. 24) and Central Arkansas (Aug. 29).
2025 American Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches' Poll
| 1. | Charlotte (4) | 58 |
| 2. | FIU (1) | 47 |
| 3. | Memphis (2) | 46 |
| South Florida (1) | 46 | |
| 5. | Missouri State (1) | 45 |
| 6. | Florida Atlantic | 33 |
| 7. | UAB | 19 |
| 8. | Tulsa | 16 |
| 9. | Temple | 14 |
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Mamadou Diarra, Gr., F, Florida Atlantic
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Wes Bottenburg, Sr., D, Tulsa
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Leo Stritter, Sr., Charlotte
Filip Sabatti, Jr., Memphis
Preseason All-Conference
Mathis Richter, So., D, UAB
Natsuki Ogata, Jr., F, Charlotte
Leo Stritter, Sr., GK, Charlotte
Mamadou Diarra, Gr., F, Florida Atlantic*
Aboubacar Traore, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
Sebastian Zettl, Sr., M, Florida Atlantic
João Domíngues, Sr., D, FIU
Eduardo Mustre, Sr., F, FIU
Owen Travis, Gr., D, FIU
Lucho Galizi, 6th, F, Memphis*
Ryan Ruguaru, So., D, Memphis
Filip Sabatti, Jr., GK, Memphis
Alex Matthews, Jr., M, Missouri State
Pedro Faife, Jr., M, South Florida*
Tyler Richardson, So., D, South Florida
Wes Bottenburg, Sr., D, Tulsa
* denotes unanimous selection
Men's Soccer Ticket Information
Single-game tickets are on sale for $10 per match and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the gate. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive one membership card per ticket ordered that will be good for all 2025 TU men's and women's regular season home matches at the Hurricane Soccer Stadium. Season tickets are not valid for any postseason games. No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.
Ball Kid Sign-ups
The Tulsa soccer teams are looking for more ball kids for the 2025 season. Ball kids and one accompanying parent or guardian will receive free admission for games they sign up for. Ball kids will retrieve balls that go out of bounds on the sidelines for the entire game. The minimum age to be a Ball Kid is 8 years old. Kids ages 13 or older are not eligible to participate. Groups will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up by clicking HERE.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the men's soccer program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Men's SoccerMonday, September 02
Sunday, September 01
Wednesday, August 28
Saturday, September 23