The 2005 Big West Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, was littered with Cal State Northridge and UC Santa Barbara players. The Gauchos took six of the 14-member first team spots while CSUN slotted four on the first team. The schools also split the major awards with Big West Goalkeeper of the Year going to CSUN freshman Kevin Guppy and teammate Daniel Paladini earning Midfielder of the Year honors while UCSB’s Andy Iro took Defender of the Year honors and Eric Avila was named Freshman of theYear. Coach of the Year honors were shared by Cal State Northridge’s Terry Davila and UC Santa Barbara’s Tim Vom Steeg. Brad Evans of UC Irvine was honored as Offensive Player of the Year.
Guppy posted a 0.83 goals against average in net and led the Big West in save percentage for the season and during conference play. He tied for first in conference with eight shutouts and was also a part of three shared shutouts. The freshman allowed only 17 goals on the season which matches a Northridge season record that was set in 1985. Guppy also set a new Matador record with his shutout total. He was the only goalkeeper to earn Big West Player of the Week honors this season.
Paladini, who received his second straight first team honor, had three game-winning goals for the Matadors, including winners in Big West games against UC Riverside and UC Santa Barbara. He was third on the team in goals (6) and points (15), also tying for fourth with three assists. The senior came up big for the Matadors in conference play, scoring five of his six goals, including two goals in a match versus Cal Poly and the lone goal in Northridge’s win over UC Santa Barbara. In conference matches, the midfielder tied for fourth in shots (40) and ranked eighth in goals. Paladini also earned Big West Player of the Week honors on one occasion.
Iro, last year’s Big West Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American, anchored the defense for the Gauchos, who allowed a league-low 16 goals and had the league’s best goals against average (0.80). The defender started all 18 games he played in this season. The sophomore played a role offensively as well this season scoring four goals including a game-winner versus Cal Poly. Iro also took a career-high 10 shots in a match against UC Davis.
UC Santa Barbara took home Freshman of the Year honors for the second straight year with the award going to Avila. The freshman midfielder netted three goals and chipped in five assists, including two game-winning goals. The Gauchos were 7-0-1 when Avila recorded a goal or an assist in a match. He received one Big West Player of the Week honor this season as well as being selected once for College Soccer News National Team of the Week.
Coach of the Year honors were shared by Davila and Vom Steeg. This is the second year in a row Vom Steeg earned the honor, while Davila was recognized for the third time in the last four seasons. Davila has guided the Matador men’s side to 76 victories in his seven seasons. He also was named 2004 Big West Coach of the Year for his work with the women’s program. This season, he guided the men’s team to its fourth straight trip to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship. CSUN finished the regular season with a 14-3-3 overall record and went 8-1-1 in Big West action to clinch the title. CSUN received a first round bye and will host a second round match on Tuesday against either San Diego State or UC Santa Barbara.
After leading his team to the College Cup last season, Vom Steeg put together another successful campaign for the Gauchos. UC Santa Barbara finished with a 12-4-3 overall record and came in second place in Big West play at 7-1-2. The team will make its fourth straight NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship appearance, facing off with San Diego State this Saturday in Santa Barbara. Vom Steeg will be bidding for his 100th career victory in that match as he owns a 99-37-10 career coaching record.
After earning Midfielder of the Year honors last season, Evans put together a stellar season at forward to earn him the award for Offensive Player of the Year. The junior scored 11 goals for the Anteaters, including four game-winning goals. Perhaps his most notable play came in UC Irvine’s biggest matches. Against UC Santa Barbara and Cal State Northridge, he scored two goals in each contest to lead his team to a tie and a win. Evans also earned All-Big West first team honors for the second straight season becoming only the third Anteater to be named to the All-Big West first team two times. The junior was only one of two players who earned Big West Player of the Week honors twice. He also was selected for the College Soccer News National Team of the Week on one occasion.
The complete All-Big West Men’s Soccer Team can be viewed at the above PDF link:
2005 BIG WEST MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
FIRST TEAM
Jose Barragan, Cal State Fullerton, Forward
Ivan Becerra, UC Santa Barbara, Forward
Brad Evans, UC Irvine, Forward
Anthony Hamilton, UC Irvine, Forward
Willie Sims, Cal State Northridge, Forward
Eric Avila, UC Santa Barbara, Midfielder
Nate Boyden, UC Santa Barbara, Midfielder
Daniel Paladini, Cal State Northridge, Midfielder
Tyler Rosenlund, UC Santa Barbara, Midfielder
Cameron Dunn, UC Irvine, Defender
Sean Franklin, Cal State Northridge, Defender
Andy Iro, UC Santa Barbara, Defender
Pat Scott, UC Santa Barbara, Defender
Kevin Guppy, Cal State Northridge, Goalkeeper
SECOND TEAM
Bryan Byrne, UC Santa Barbara, Forward
Alec de Mattos, Cal State Northridge, Forward
Ryan Rossi, Cal State Northridge, Forward
Taylor Canel, Cal State Northridge, Midfielder
Arron Craggs, Cal State Fullerton, Midfielder
Gianni Facio, Cal State Northridge, Midfielder
Chris Klotz, UC Irvine, Midfielder
Scott Barnett, UC Riverside, Defender
Chris Hughes, UC Santa Barbara, Defender
Matt Tracy, Cal State Northridge, Defender
Kyle Reynish, UC Santa Barbara, Goalkeeper
HONORABLE MENTION
Eugene Brooks, Cal State Fullerton, Forward
Kyle Ochoa, UC Riverside, Forward
Randy Poggio, UC Riverside, Forward
Jordan Arias, UC Riverside, Midfielder
Doug Franco, UC Irvine, Midfielder
Moses Venegas, Cal Poly, Midfielder
Brandon Foster, UC Irvine, Defender
Derek Hanks, Cal State Northridge, Defender
Taylor Sheldrick, Cal State Fullerton, Defender
Ryan Mathy, UC Irvine, Goalkeeper
2005 Big West Offensive Player of the Year
Brad Evans, UC Irvine
2005 Big West Midfielder of the Year
Daniel Paladini, Cal State Northridge
2005 Big West Defensive Player of the Year
Andy Iro, UC Santa Barbara
2005 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year
Kevin Guppy, Cal State Northridge
2005 Big West Freshman of the Year
Eric Avila, UC Santa Barbara
2005 Big West Co-Coaches of the Year
Terry Davila, Cal State Northridge
Tim Vom Steeg, UC Santa Barbara