Top Seed UCM Dominates All-Cal Pac Teams

UC Merced and Marymount California, both receiving votes in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll, played to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 20 in both teams' California Pacific Conference season opener, and from that point forward the two controlled the top of the conference standings. The Bobcats won 10 straight while the Mariners fell to Antelope Valley before sweeping the final eight Cal Pac matches. The two teams not only earned a bye in the Opening Round of the Cal Pac Championships, which begin today, but they also garnered eight of the 22 spots on the Cal Pac All-Conference teams. UCM had five players voted in while MCU had three named.

The Player of the Year award was given to Antelope Valley's Manuel Medina, who turned in a record-setting performance. The senior forward leads Cal Pac in every offensive category except assists, where is ranks in the top 10. The two-time winner of the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week currently ranks No. 1 in the nation in Total Goals (31), Goals per Game (1.720), Total Points (68), and Points per Game (3.780). He is No. 6 in total Game Winning Goals (6); No. 7 in Shots per Game (5.110); No. 8 Shots on Goal per Game (2.670); and No. 10 in Game Winning Goals per Game (.330).

Ricardo Rosas of UC Merced was named the top defensive player in the conference after leading the Bobcats' defense that led the Cal Pac in shutouts (7) and Goals Allowed per Game (1.17).

Benedictine-Mesa junior forward Cesar Moreno was selected as the conference's Newcomer of the Year, the second consecutive season a Redhawk has earned that distinction. Moreno ranked 4th in the conference in Points per Game (2.20) and Goals per Game (0.80) and 5th in Points (34) and Goals (12), helping two-year BenU program reach the postseason for the second straight year.

UC Merced's Rodolfo Prado was voted the top freshman in the Cal Pac for his key role in the dominating Bobcat defense.

Bobcat head coach Albert Martins was voted the Cal Pac's Coach of the Year, the third time he has been named by his peers.

One of the most decorated Cal Pac players in conference history, UCM's Artemio Contreras, was voted to the First Team, giving him a run of four straight seasons of being recognized by conference coaches. Contreras was an Honorable Mention last year, First Team in 2015, and was named Freshman of the Year and to the First Team in 2015. Fellow Bobcat and Defensive Player of the Year Rosas was named to the 2018 First Team after getting Second Team honors last year.

Other players who have been voted to multiple teams are MCU's Nedin Zukanovic, voted to the First Team in 2018 and 2017; Player of the Year Medina was a Second Team honoree last season, and UAV's Sanson Lopez, a Second Team member this year, was an Honorable Mention in 2017; La Sierra's Israel Vasquez has been selected to the Second Team two years in a row; Soka University of America's Hunter Stewart has been voted to the Second Team the last two years; and Embry-Riddle's Simon Jensen and Jacob Baker earned First and Second Team honors, respectively, this year after being named Honorable Mention in 2017.

2018 CALIFORNIA PACIFIC CONFERENCE

MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Manuel Medina (Antelope Valley)

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Ricardo Rosas (UC Merced)

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Cesar Moreno (Benedictine-Mesa)

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Rodolfo Prado (UC Merced)

COACH OF THE YEAR: Albert Martins (UC Merced)

ALL CONFERENCE TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

HONORABLE MENTION

Antelope Valley: Kevin Martinez. Benedictine-Mesa: Jesus Felix. Cal Maritime: Ezra Dickens, Justin Davis, Keegan Flynn. Embry-Riddle: Chiedu Ikeme. Marymount California: Tekodah Lobsiger, Barak Moses, Pedro Campos. Pacific Union: Carlos Piedra, Jonathan Manurung. Providence Christian: Andrew Macias, Brennan Kiledjian. Sierra Nevada: Christopher Pulido, Alonso Garcia. Simpson: Taylor Sherman, Alfred Kander, Lucas Dias. Soka University of America: Gerardo De La Torre, Max Barainca. UC Merced: Juan Flores, Luis Martinez.

CHAMPIONS OF CHARACTER