CHARLOTTE, NC – Setting the Barton men’s soccer career-goals record, Cougar sophomore Masaki Tsuji has been recognized as the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division 1 Men’s Soccer Player of the Week.
The national honor for Tsuji is the third of his career and first of the 2026 season, while becoming the 77th Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference men’s soccer player since 2017 to earn NJCAA Player of the Week accolades. Of the 77 honorees, Tsuji is the 13th KJCCC men’s soccer player to earn the award multiple times and the fifth to earn national accolades three or more times during their KJCCC career. Barton has now had 21 NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Player of the Week award winners, with Tsuji joining teammates Pedro Lisboa and Rafael Calmon to be named NJCAA Division 1 Men’s Soccer Players of the Week during the 2026 season.
Masaki Tsuji (Barton) – NJCAA D1 Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week
Tsuji delivered another historic week for number four-ranked Barton, producing five goals and two assists for 12 points to become the program’s all-time career goals leader. The sophomore recorded consecutive multi-goal performances, including his second eight-point outing of the season, before breaking a 16-year-old school record in Saturday’s nationally ranked conference showdown against the sixth-ranked Tigers. Tsuji opened the week with his second hat trick of the season, adding two assists for eight points in just 44 minutes during Wednesday’s 8-0 victory over Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. He followed with Barton’s first two goals in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Cowley, with his second strike establishing a new program career record of 35 goals.
