Iowa high school soccer: 15 midseason boys Player of the Year candidates

We're just about a month away from the Iowa high school boys state soccer tournament at Cownie Soccer Park in Des Moines.

Since the season got underway in late March until now, players and teams from across the state have begun to separate themselves from the crowd. As a result, we can start to narrow down who the Player of the Year candidates are here in the state of Iowa.

Nominees were chosen based on stats from the current season, overall team success, prior accomplishments and analysis from coaches. Since we still have a month of play remaining, players can still earn their way onto the list.

Statistics were compiled on gobound.com as of May 1 at noon. Players are listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Henrry Abarca, Sr., Dowling Catholic

Dowling is one of the top contenders for the state title in Class 4A this season. They're off to an 11-2 start that's in large part to Abarca, who has received appreciation from coaches across the state. He's recorded 12 goals and nine assists for the No. 2 ranked team in the class.

Zach Binns, Sr., Tipton

The Tigers are 8-3 this season. If you're looking for a reason why, look no further than Binns, who has posted seven clean sheets. He led the effort of a 1-0 shutout against No. 3 West Liberty and has 122 saves on the season.

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Jordan Fischer, Sr., Marion

Fischer is a standout for Marion, tallying seven goals and five assists for the Wolves. However, he's the spearhead of a defense that has had nine shutouts in 12 games played. They haven't allowed more than one goal in a game all season. Their goalkeeper has only had to face 39 shots on the year, allowing just three goals in total.

Andre Fuentes, Sr., North Fayette Valley

Fuentes is the catalyst of one of the most prolific offenses in Iowa. The Tigerhawks have the most goals in the state this year with 85. Fuentes is second on the team in goals with 19, helping. He also has 27 assists on the season, the second-most in Iowa.

Eddy Fuentes, Jr., Webster City

It hasn't been the toughest schedule in the land, but you can't argue with the Lynx's success at 10-0. That's been behind Fuentes, one of Class 2A's leaders with 28 goals scored already. He had a hat trick in a win against Aplington-Parkersburg, the No. 8 ranked team in the class.

Gesser Gutierres, Sr., Greene County

Gutierres sits atop the leaderboard in all of Iowa with 31 goals this season and only one other player in the state has cracked the 30-goal mark. Against Panorama, Gutierres posted a nine-goal effort. Nope, that's not a typo. The Rams are 7-3 behind a special goal-scoring talent.

Tyler Holtan, Jr., Gilbert

The 12-0 Tigers have been one of the best teams in the state, regardless of class, this season. Holtan is a big part of that as the offensive catalyst with a team-leading 15 goals and nine assists.

Ben Jackson, Sr., Dallas Center-Grimes

The returning first-team All-state member has been stellar in his senior campaign, with 13 goals and 10 assists. Behind him, the Mustangs are 9-3 and ranked No. 4 in Class 3A. He's Class 3A's third-best goal scorer this year and has the fourth-most assists too.

Preston Kipnusu, Sr., Valley

Kipnusu is one of Class 4A's best as the class leader in points with 49 and is also first in goals with 20 on the season. Valley is the No. 5 ranked team in Class 4A thanks to his leadership at the forward position.

Carlos Martinez, Sr., Johnston

Martinez is the leading goal scorer and assist man for the Dragons, the returning state champion and top-ranked team in Class 4A. His 10 goals and six assists have Johnston at the forefront of state title contention once again.

Ben Musengo, Sr., Des Moines Hoover

The DMPS programs of Hoover and Roosevelt have had stellar seasons, both ranked inside the top 10 of their classes. Musengo has been one of the top players in the city, notching nine goals and nine assists as a midfielder.

Kaden Ogle, Sr., Underwood

Ogle is the other player to hit 30 goals this season, leading his team to a 6-6 ledger on the year. He's had an eight-goal and six-goal outing this season.

Adriene Robles, Soph., Lewis Central

In Robles' last three games, he's had 10 assists and six goals, including a hat trick against Atlantic. As one of three guys on a team that has 10 or more goals, Robles separates himself with a team-leading 15 assists for the undefeated, No. 1 ranked squad.

Gavin Pienkowski, Sr., Carlisle

Behind his Class 3A-leading 18 goals as well as five assists, the Wildcats are 8-4 on the season. As he goes, Carlisle goes.

Logan Rethwisch, Sr., Williamsburg

The Raiders are 11-1 behind this stout goalkeeper, making 67 saves on the year and holding a 91.8% save percentage.

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa high school soccer: Midseason boys Player of the Year candidates