When Coastal Carolina takes the field, much of its offensive rhythm flows through one player — midfielder Loed Klaasen. The Netherlands standout has put together one of the most productive seasons in the nation, ranking sixth in the NCAA with a 0.64 assists-per-match average.
Across 903 minutes of play this fall, Klaasen has scored four goals and recorded seven assists, leading Coastal with 15 total points. Within the Sun Belt Conference, he trails only UCF's Clarence Awoudor, who tops the national chart with a 0.93 assists-per-match mark.
For Klaasen, the personal accolades are appreciated, but not the focus.
"It's definitely something I'm proud of," Klaasen said. "But honestly, it's more of a team thing — my teammates make great runs and finish chances, so I just try to put them in good positions. It's a cool accomplishment, but what matters most is that it's helping us win games."
That unselfish mentality has made Klaasen the heartbeat of Coastal's attack. While his name often appears on the stat sheet, he's just as comfortable being the one setting up the play that makes it happen.
Klaasen credits his connection with teammates as the foundation for his success.
"Our chemistry has always been strong, but early in the season it didn't really show on the field," he explained. "It took a bit of time to find our rhythm, but now everything's clicking. We're connecting better, and you can see that in the way we're creating chances."
Balancing creativity with scoring instincts is something Klaasen takes pride in mastering.
"I try to read the game and take what the defense gives me," he said. "My main focus is creating chances and keeping the attack flowing, but if the space opens up, I'm confident going for goal myself."
His vision and decision-making have become defining traits — qualities that Coastal interim head coach Chris Fidler says separate Klaasen from most collegiate midfielders.
"Loed has an incredible playing background from his developmental years and is playing with a boatload of confidence and belief right now," Fidler said. "That is definitely showing in his performances. He's an elite playmaker."
Beyond his technical quality, Klaasen's leadership has also stood out within the Coastal squad.
"He's a leader of the group who everybody looks up to," Fidler added. "He's very respectful and always does his best to implement what the coaches ask of him."
Klaasen's steady demeanor extends to how he measures success — less by numbers, more by impact.
"I try not to get too caught up in stats," he said. "It's cool to see my name up there, but I don't want it to change the way I play. I focus more on how I can help the team every game."
As the regular season winds down and the Sun Belt Tournament looms, Klaasen's goals remain team-centered.
"Our goal is to rank as high as possible in the Sun Belt and then go as far as we can in the tournament," he said. "Personally, I just want to keep creating chances, stay consistent, and help the team any way I can."
