CHARLOTTE, NC – With both Cowley and Neosho County playing for 2024 NJCAA Men’s Soccer National Titles last month, both the Tigers and Panthers have landed multiple players on the NJCAA Men’s Soccer All-America Teams as the two squads have combined for seven All-Americans for the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference.

Four players from Cowley were named NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer All-Americans with Kanta Ishii (first team), Shogo Haraikawa (second team), Kohsuke Fukudome (second team) and Takeru Chiba (third team) all bringing home honors for the Tigers while Neosho County saw Callum Niven, Joe Taylor, and Grant Thackray all named NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer First Team All-Americans.

Kanta Ishii (Cowley) NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer First Team All-American
Ishii was the 2024 KJCCC Division 1 Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, Ishii netted four goals and had five assists to total 13 points for the Tigers as Cowley advanced to the 2024 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer National Championship game and eventually fell in penalty kicks. Two of Ishii’s four goals were game-winners while his five assists ranked sixth among KJCCC D1 men’s soccer players.  

Shogo Haraikawa (Cowley) NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Second Team All-American
The KJCCC Division 1 men’s soccer leader in goals this past season, Haraikawa found the back of the net 12 times on 44 total shot attempts with seven game-winning goals which led all NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer players. The 12 goals ranked 18th nationally while starting all 22 games for the Tigers this season.  

Kohsuke Fukudome (Cowley) NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Second Team All-American
Another KJCCC Player of the Year Award winner for the Tigers, Fukudome was the 2024 KJCCC Division 1 Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring a back line for Cowley that allowed just 17 goals in 22 games this season. As a team, the Tigers had a goals-against-average of 0.78 and allowed more than one goal in just three games this year.

Takeru Chiba (Cowley) NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Third Team All-American
Another key piece to the Cowley defensive back line, Chiba appeared in and started 21 of 22 games for the Tigers and scored two goals this past season which included one game-winner. Of the 21 games that Chiba appeared in, Cowley allowed only 15 goals for a 0.71 goals against average in games played by the sophomore.  

Callum Niven (Neosho County) NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer First Team All-American
Niven was the runaway leader for the KJCCC Division 2 men’s soccer scoring title, leading to KJCCC D2 Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year honors after netting 24 goals and recording nine assists for 57 total points. The 24 goals ranked 4th among all NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer players while his nine assists ranked in the top 35 to go along with six game-winning goals which ranked fifth nationally.

Joe Taylor (Neosho County) NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer First Team All-American
The 2024 KJCCC Division 2 Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor helped Neosho County post 11 shutouts defensively and 20-2-2 in 24 matches this season. In addition to his defensive presence, Taylor recorded 19 assists which ranks second nationally among all NJCAA Division 2 men’s soccer players.

Grant Thackray (Neosho County) NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer First Team All-American
Starting 23 of Neosho County’s 24 games between the pipes, Thackray recorded a 16-1-2 overall record as a goalkeeper this past season for the Panthers with eight shutouts in 1,965 total minutes in net. Allowing 20 total goals for a 0.92 goals against average, the lone loss for Thackray this season came in the 2024 NJCAA Division 2 Men’s Soccer National Championship match against Northeast Community College as the sophomore led all NJCAA Division 2 men’s soccer goalkeepers in wins and shutouts.