NDNU's Cristobal Montes captures two top awards;

Grand Canyon's Franco Carotenuto earns Goalkeeper of the Year honor

QUEEN CREEK, AZ - Notre Dame de Namur freshman forward Cristobal Montes (Fremont, CA/John F. Kennedy) led the Pacific West Conference in scoring and goals, guided his squad to the conference title, and led the Argonauts to their first NCAA Division II post-season appearance in 2008.

The result: Montes has been selected the 2008 PacWest Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year.

Montes' head coach, Lance Thompson, was named the 2008 PacWest Coach of the Year, while Grand Canyon junior netminder Franco Carotenuto (Scottsdale, AZ/Chaparral) was chosen as the 2008 PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year.

The awards were announced on Tuesday, Dec. 2, as part of the 2008 All-PacWest Men's Soccer Team. PacWest rules dictate that the head coach of the championship team is automatically designated the coach of the year, while the three players of the year are voted upon by the head coach or designated representative from each school.

In addition to the major awards, 36 players representing the league's seven schools were chosen for the all-conference team. The players were selected by their respective head coach under a formula based upon a team's finish in the standings. Each team was allocated a designated number of All-PacWest players relative to its conference standing.

NDNU received eight All-PacWest selections, including three First Team members. Montes also claimed First Team accolades after finishing the year with 33 points on 14 goals and five assists. He ranked first in points, beating out the runner-up by 13, and he was the lone PacWest player to break into double digits in terms of goals scored.

In addition to his totals, Montes led the PacWest in points per game (1.57) and goals per game (0.67), while his 0.24 assists per game ranked third in the league. He also tied for third in total assists.

The Argos recorded a 14-4-3 overall mark with Montes drilling the game-winning goal in seven of those victories. He topped the Pacific West Conference in game-winners (7) and in game-winning goal average (0.33).

Now in his second year with NDNU, Thompson (photo) guided the Argos to a 9-1-2 PacWest record to give Notre Dame de Namur its second title in the three-year history of men's soccer. In 2006, NDNU shared the league crown with Grand Canyon.

Joining Montes on the First Team were junior defender Oswaldo Hernandez (Shafter, CA/Liberty) and senior defender Joe Simonton (Mesa, AZ/Mesa) who helped the Argos record 12 shutouts and a 0.72 goals against average.

Senior middie Carlos Lopez (Santa Monica, CA/Santa Monica) earned his second straight All-PacWest honor by climbing from Honorable Mention in 2007 to Second Team in 2008. Senior middie Dorian Virrueta (Fremont, CA/American) also was a repeat customer, landing on the Second Team for the second straight year.

Lopez ended his season tied for 10th in points after totaling 11 on three goals and five assists, while Virrueta shared the league lead in assists with six and ranked second in assists per game with a mark of 0.29.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sheldon Steenhuis (Morgan Hill, CA /Live Oak), the 2007 Goalkeeper of the Year and a First Team selection last year, earned another honor this year by taking Second Team accolades. Steenhuis (photo) produced a 0.77 goals against average to rank second in the conference, while his .780 save percentage stands third.

Freshman midfielder Christian Rosales (Reading, UK) and junior forward Jacob Zavala (Las Vegas, NV/Desert Pines) each made Honorable Mention for the Argos. Zavala finished the year tied for 10th in points with 11 on four goals and three assists. His 0.58 points per game average ranks him 10th, while his 0.21 goals per game is tied for 10th. Rosales tied for ninth in the league in assists with three.

Grand Canyon finished the year with six All-PacWest selections, including Carotenuto (photo) who was a First Team member in addition to his Goalkeeper of the Year award.

He ended the 2 008 campaign with the league's best save percentage (.875), the top goals against average (0.56), the second-most saves (70) and the second-highest saves per game average (4.12). His eight shutouts and 0.47 shutouts per game average both were tops in the PacWest.

Three-time All-PacWest defender Rodolfo Collazo (Phoenix, AZ/Brophy) joined Carotenuto on the First Team. He was named All-PacWest Second Team in 2006 and First Team last season.

Senior middie Joel Ibarra (Yuma, AZ/Cibola) and senior defender Dusan Radisavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia) each earned Second Team accolades, while senior midfielder Matheau Hall (Virginia Beach, VA/Landstown) and rookie forward Nick Sykes (Meridian, ID/Mountain View) claimed Honorable Mention.

Sykes finished fifth in the conference in scoring with 14 points on six goals and two assists. He ranked sixth in points per game (0.78), sixth in goals per game (0.33), and tied for fifth in total goals.

As a team, the Grand Canyon defense ranked first in goals against average (0.64) and total goals (13), and tied for second in shutouts (8).

Hawai‘i Pacific landed six All-PacWest selections, including freshman middie Chance Bukoski (Kapaa, HI/Kapaa) and sophomore midde Linus Ekden (Lidkoping, Sweden) on the First Team. Ekden was the Co-Newcomer of the Year in 2007 while also making All-PacWest Honorable Mention.

Bukoski (photo) shared third place in total points in the PacWest after recording 18 on seven goals and four assists. He also tied for third in points per game (1.00) and in total goals, and finished fifth in the league in goals per game (0.39). He tied for fifth in total assists and tied for sixth in assists per game (0.22).

Ekden's contributions consisted of posting 12 points on four goals and four assists. He tied for seventh in the league in points and finished seventh in points per game (0.71). He shared ninth place in goals per game (0.24), tied for 10th in total goals, shared fifth place in total assists and ranked fifth in assists per game (0.24).

The Sea Warriors earned a pair of Second Team selections in sophomore middie Toni Bakken (Kongsvinger, Norway) and senior middie Andre Whitt (Loveland, CO/Mountain View). Bakken earned Second Team accolades in 2007.

The Honorable Mention choices featured senior defender Mike DeCaires (Kailua, HI/Kamehameha Schools) and junior goalie Matt Terry (Honolulu, HI/Saint Louis). Terry finished the year with a 1.37 goals against average, five shutouts and a 0.33 shutouts per game average.

Hawai‘i Hilo junior forward Drew Geis (Kapolei, HI/Kapolei) earned his third straight All-PacWest selection for the Vulcans. He claimed First Team honors this year after previously being tabbed for the First Team in 2006 and the Second Team in 2007.

Geis (photo) ranked second in the conference in game-winning goals with four, and he finished the year tied for third in total points with 18 on eight goals and two assists. He tied for third in points per game (1.00), was second in goals per game (0.44), and finished second in the league in total goals scored.

Junior goalie Ivan Mercado (Paramount, CA/Century) was named to the Second Team for the Vulcans, while junior middie Tim Glick (Harrisonburg, VA/Turner Ashby) and sophomore middie Luis Segovia (Whittier, CA/California) were named Honorable Mention. Mercado ranked third in the conference in goals against average (1.04) and second in total shutouts (6).

BYU-Hawaii junior middie Adam Maciejewski (Hamburg, Germany - photo) earned his second straight All-PacWest reward, moving up to the First Team this year after claiming Second Team honors in 2007. He finished sixth in scoring with 13 points on six goals and one assist, and he wound up fifth in points per game with a 0.87 average. Maciejewski also ranked fifth in goals and fourth in goals per game (0.40).

Sophomore defender Collin Walch (Scotts Valley, CA/Scotts Valley) jumped from Honorable Mention status last year to Second Team this year for the Seasiders, while senior goalie Doug Hansen (Los Altos, CA/Los Altos) and freshman defender Bryce Whiting (The Woodlands, TX/The Woodlands) claimed Honorable Mention.

Hansen ranked third in the league in saves with 61 and finished the year with a 1.69 goals against average. He also pitched two shutouts.

Chaminade sophomore midfielder Nick Smith (Waterville, OH/Anthony Wayne) picked up First Team accolades for the Silverswords and junior defender Chad Nishikuni (Wailuku, HI/Baldwin) became a three-time all-conference selection after winning Second Team honors. He was a Second Team member in 2006 and a First Team choice last year.

Freshman forward Keenan Ho (Honolulu, HI/Saint Louis) and rookie netminder Kris Lounsbury (Phoenix, AZ/Mountain Pointe) picked up Honorable Mentions for their rookie seasons. Lounsbury led the PacWest in saves with 90 and in saves per game with a 6.00 average.

In its first season of collegiate men's soccer, Dixie State was led by four All-PacWest selections. Freshman defender Aaron McKinley (Layton, UT/Layton) and sophomore middie Brent Knoblauch (Seattle, WA/Snow Canyon - photo) each were named Honorable Mention, while First Team honors went to freshman middie Parker Kennah (Layton, UT/Northridge).

Freshman forward/midfielder Zac Hales (St. George, UT/Dixie) was named to the Second Team after scoring four goals this season. He tied for 10th in the league in total goals and tied for ninth in goals per game (0.24).