2018 ALL-PACWEST MEN'S SOCCER TEAM
IRVINE, Calif. – Azusa Pacific completed the second perfect conference season in PacWest men’s soccer history this year, and the Cougars claimed several special awards as voted on by the PacWest coaches.
Gabriel Costa is the 2018 PacWest Player of the Year, becoming the third freshman in PacWest history, and first since 2009, to receive the highest individual award in men’s soccer.
Isaac Bawa is the PacWest Freshman of the Year and Defender of the Year, while
James Ndubueze is the PacWest Newcomer of the Year. Azusa Pacific’s head coach
Dave Blomquist earned his second PacWest Coach of the Year honor to make it five awards for the Cougars. Biola’s
Luis Rodriguez also earned a special award, being named the PacWest Goalkeeper of the Year.
Costa led the Azusa Pacific offense with 13 goals and 12 assists on a PacWest-best 80 shots. The center midfielder made five game-winning goals this year and participated in multiple goals in eight of the Cougars’ victories. The Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native is the third different player in PacWest history to record double-digit goals and assists in the same season, and his 12 assists is tied for the sixth most in a single season.
Bawa played in every minute of 17 matches for the Cougars, leading the defense that won each of its final 13 contests to earn recognition as the Freshman of the Year and Defender of the Year. Led by Bawa, the Azusa Pacific defense recorded six shutout victories on the season and was the toughest PacWest team to score against with only 22 goals allowed all year. The freshman from Ghana also helped the Cougars dominate possession of the ball, outshooting opponents 317-129.
As a transfer from Cloud Community College, Ndubueze boosted the Cougars’ offense, which scored 20 more goals this season than in 2017. The native of Paderborn, Germany was one of three Cougars with double-digit goals, finishing the regular season with 10 goals and three assists. Ndubueze had a multi-goal game on October 24 at Concordia, including the game-winning goal to keep the Cougars’ winning streak alive. He also scored the game-winning goal against then-ranked No. 14 Western Washington as Azusa Pacific went on to win 2-0.
Rodriguez was the PacWest’s leader in goals against average at 1.233 as he led Biola to a 6-4-1 record in conference play. Rodriguez recorded four shutouts on the season with his most impressive performance coming at home against Hawai`i Pacific, when he made a season-high nine saves to defend a 1-0 lead for the Eagles. The native of Guadalajara, Mexico registered a 68.3 save percentage and ranked second in the conference in shutout percentage.
Blomquist earned his second PacWest Coach of the Year recognition from his peers after leading the Cougars to their second PacWest title as a program. Blomquist first won the award in 2014 when he led Azusa Pacific to the title with an 11-1 record. This year, he led the Cougars to an even more successful season, going undefeated in conference play. Azusa Pacific earned the No. 2 seed in the West Region, earning the right to host the first two rounds of the postseason.
Fresno Pacific earned three first-team All-PacWest selections after taking second place in the conference.
Anthony Velarde became the first player in PacWest history to record double-digit goals and assists in consecutive seasons and is the PacWest’s all-time leader in single-season and career assists after notching 20 this year.
Joao Ravasio and
Bruno Brumati were also repeat selections for All-PacWest as they helped lead the Sunbirds back to the NCAA postseason for the first time since their freshman year.
Concordia had two repeat selections on the first team in
Connor Gordon and
Ari Claro. Gordon finished his career as the PacWest active leader in career goals, points and game-winning goals. He also scored 18 goals this year, which led the PacWest and is tied for the seventh most all-time.
Notre Dame de Namur’s
Moises Claudio was a first-time selection for the second year in a row after leading the Argonauts to five conference wins.
Atu Galadima from Biola was also named to the first team with two goals on the year. Point Loma’s
Tim Siegfried was the PacWest’s leader in goals for most of the season, scoring 16 times in his sophomore campaign. A total of 10 different countries were represented by the players on the All-PacWest teams.
| 2018 PACWEST MEN’S SOCCER AWARDS |
| PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
DEFENDER OF THE YEAR |
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR |
|
Gabriel Costa
Azusa Pacific
|
Isaac Bawa
Azusa Pacific |
Luis Rodriguez
Biola |
| NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR |
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR |
COACH OF THE YEAR |
James Ndubueze
Azusa Pacific |
Isaac Bawa
Azusa Pacific |
Dave Blomquist
Azusa Pacific |
| 2018 ALL-PACWEST MEN’S SOCCER TEAM |
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Yr. |
Hometown/Previous School |
| FIRST TEAM |
| Arturo Astorga* |
Azusa Pacific |
F |
Jr. |
El Paso, Texas/Canutillo |
| Connor Gordon* |
Concordia |
F |
Sr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison |
| James Ndubueze |
Azusa Pacific |
F |
So. |
Paderborn, Germany/SC Paderborn 09 |
| Tim Siegfried* |
Point Loma |
F |
So. |
Osterburken, Germany/Apian-Gymnasium |
| Gabriel Costa |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
Fr. |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Augusto System |
| Atu Galadima |
Biola |
M |
So. |
Fullerton, Calif./Messiah College |
| Joao Ravasio* |
Fresno Pacific |
M |
Sr. |
Florianopolis, Brazil/Colegio Catarinense |
| Anthony Velarde* |
Fresno Pacific |
M |
Sr. |
Reedley, Calif./Reedley |
| Isaac Bawa |
Azusa Pacific |
D |
Fr. |
Accra, Ghana/Wa Senior HS |
| Bruno Brumati* |
Fresno Pacific |
D |
Sr. |
Cacapava, Brazil/West Hills |
| Ari Claro* |
Concordia |
D |
Sr. |
Hawaiian Gardens, Calif./Long Beach CC |
| Moises Claudio* |
Notre Dame de Namur |
D |
Jr. |
Hawthorne, Calif./Lawndale |
| Luis Rodriguez |
Biola |
GK |
Jr. |
Guadalajara, Mexico/San Jacinto |
| SECOND TEAM |
| Julian Font* |
Concordia |
F |
Jr. |
Ladera Ranch, Calif./UC Irvine |
| Naia Graham** |
Notre Dame de Namur |
F |
Sr. |
Kailua, Hawai’i/Kailua |
| Leo Thompson |
Biola |
F |
Jr. |
Birmingham, England/Thomas |
| Jose Vargas |
Fresno Pacific |
F |
Sr. |
Reedley, Calif./Reedley College |
| Jose Garfias |
Concordia |
M |
Sr. |
Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor |
| Bruno Pagani |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
Sr. |
Madrid, Spain/Dharma |
| Aleksander Pumpalovic* |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
Sr. |
Zurich, Switzerland/KV Zurich Business School |
| Willy Ospina |
Concordia |
M |
Jr. |
Laguna Hills, Calif./Cal State Fullerton |
| Pablo Iles Cruz |
Azusa Pacific |
D |
Sr. |
Berlin, Germany/Lausitzer |
| Kyle Diaz |
Azusa Pacific |
D |
Jr. |
San Diego/International Studies |
| Juan Gonzalez |
Fresno Pacific |
D |
Jr. |
Fresno, Calif./Clovis CC |
| Jacob Eisenberg* |
Point Loma |
D |
So. |
Temecula, Calif./Chaparral |
| Kousei Mattox* |
Biola |
D |
Sr. |
Yokohama, Japan/Esperanza FC |
| Wiktor Lasota* |
Point Loma |
GK |
Jr. |
Lodz, Poland/Aviation |
| THIRD TEAM |
| Wilson Briggs |
Dominican |
F |
Sr. |
York, England/Joseph Rowntree |
| Noah Mokulehua |
Chaminade |
F |
Fr. |
Waimanalo, Hawai`i/Kaiser |
| Eric Sanchez |
Fresno Pacific |
F |
Sr. |
Las Vegas/Centennial |
| Matt Wilkinson |
Hawai`i Hilo |
F |
Jr. |
Croydon, England/Santa Barbara CC |
| Gregoire Diep |
Azusa Pacific |
M |
Fr. |
Munich, Germany/FOS Ingolstadt |
| Giovanni Rodriguez |
Notre Dame de Namur |
M |
Jr. |
Las Vegas/Durango |
| Josh Santillian |
Notre Dame de Namur |
M |
Fr. |
Union City, Calif./Newark Memorial |
| Anthony Torres |
Fresno Pacific |
M |
So. |
Fresno, Calif./West Hills |
| Curtis Coburn* |
Chaminade |
D |
Jr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif./Huntington Beach |
| Jake Munivez |
Biola |
D |
Jr. |
Anaheim, Calif./Esperanza |
| Parker Setran |
Biola |
D |
Sr. |
Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Academy |
| Tasman Turner |
Chaminade |
D |
Fr. |
Kailua, Hawai`i/Iolani |
| Michael Stafford |
Chaminade |
GK |
Jr |
Honolulu/Iowa Western CC |
*-Indicates previous All-PacWest selection