UC Santa Barbara claimed the lion's share of Big West men’s soccer awards as the Gauchos nabbed four of the six awards in a vote of the league's head coaches.
UCSB claimed the Defensive Player of the Year in
Martin Hedevag, the Midfielder of the Year in
Danny Barrera, the Freshman of the Year in
Machael David and the Goalkeeper of the Year in
Sam Hayden. The other two honors were bestowed upon UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge as UCI's
Irving Garcia won the Offensive Player of the Year, while Matador head coach
Terry Davila won the Coach of the Year accolades.
Garcia, a senior from San Luis, Ariz., continued his torrid pace from the end of the 2008 season into 2009. The forward ranks second in the Big West in goals (8) and leads the league in assists (9) and points (25). In fact, Garcia is the only player in the conference to currently rank in the top three in goals, assists and points. During conference play he was just as consistent, leading the league with 11 points via three goals and a Big West-best five assists. The October 10 Big West Player of the Week now has 48 points in 44 career matches, a 1.09 career point per match average. Garcia is also the Anteaters' first Offensive Player of the Year since former star and current MLS player Brad Evans won back-to-back awards in 2005 and ‘06.
Hedevag, a senior from Gothenburg, Sweden, emerged as one of the top defenders in the league this season. After moving from forward to defense early in the year, Hedevag was at the heart of a unit that shut out 14 opponents this season, including nine of its 10 foes in Big West play. His play was instrumental in UCSB allowing just 16 goals to this point in the year after allowing 39 scores by the opposition a year ago. Despite his key defensive role, Hedevag also moved up to take part in the potent UC Santa Barbara attack, collecting 11 points on four goals and three assists. His selection as the Defensive Player of the Year continues a tradition of stalwart defenders as a UCSB player has collected the award six times since its inception in 2001.
Barrera, a sophomore from Thousand Oaks, Calif., is a driving force for the UC Santa Barbara offense in just his second season. After battling injuries a year ago, Barrera has played and started in all 21 matches for the Gauchos, registering five goals and eight assists. His eight assists is tied for the league lead, while his goal count is tied for ninth on the league leaderboard. Barrera showed a flair for the big stage as he collected a goal and an assist against Pittsburgh, a goal and an assist against Indiana and a career-high five point effort via two goals and an assist against UC Davis. His Midfielder of the Year honor marks the second time in three seasons a UC Santa Barbara player has won the award. Ciaran O'Brien, who is in the Colorado Rapids’ MLS system was the other recipient in 2007.
David, who hails from Tacoma, Wash., became a top notch playmaker for the Gauchos in his first full collegiate season. From his midfield position, the rookie scored a goal and added four assists for six points. David's first collegiate goal came under the bright lights of a national TV audience as he scored on a breakaway against perennial national power Indiana on
Fox Soccer Channel. David also proved to be a solid defender as he was part of a group that allowed just 16 goals in 21 matches. This marks the second time that a UC Santa Barbara freshman has been named the top newcomer in the league. Current MLS player Andy Iro was the first Gaucho as he claimed Freshman of the Year honors in 2004.
Hayden, a junior from Jackson Hole, Wyo., was a wall between the pipes in his first season in a Gaucho uniform. He leads the Big West in goals against average (0.75), saves (75) and shutouts (14), while ranking second in save percentage (.824). His goals against average ranks 29th in the NCAA and his save percentage is 30th in the country in the stat rankings through November 15. Hayden was especially stingy against Big West opposition as he allowed just one goal in 10 matches (0.10 gaa), recorded 43 saves and shutout nine of those 10 opponents. In addition, Hayden’s 14 blankings is a single season UC Santa Barbara record and ties the Big West single season mark. Hayden the first keeper from UCSB to claim Goalkeeper of the Year accolades since Kyle Reynish split the honor in 2006.
Davila, who is in the 11th year at the helm of his alma mater, led the Matadors to a double-digit win season after not reaching that number for three consecutive years. CSUN went 10-8-2 in 2009, registering its most wins since 2005 and gaining a berth to the 2009 Big West Tournament. Along the way, Davila’s team defeated eventual NCAA Tournament teams Loyola Marymount and Tulsa, with the latter coming on the road. In all, Cal State Northridge went 5-3-1 in non-conference play, its best record against non-league opposition since 2005. In league play, the Matadors, took down UC Santa Barbara, the Gauchos' lone defeat in regular season Big West play this year, and defeated UC Irvine on the road in the regular season finale to make the conference tournament. This marks the fourth time that Davila has won the Coach of the Year award, tying for the most in league history with Jose Elgorriaga who managed former Big West member Fresno State.
UC Santa Barbara lead all schools with 10 All-Big West selection, including a league-high six first teamers. Tournament champion UC Irvine was second with seven All-Conference selections and four first teamers, while Cal State Northridge had three first team all-stars among its six overall selections. The Matadors Sunghyun Kim was also selected to his fourth All-Conference list, the first four-year player to accomplish that feat since UC Santa Barbara's Andy Iro did it from 2004-07.
| 2009 ALL-BIG WEST MEN’S SOCCER TEAMS |
| First Team |
| Player |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| +Irving Garcia |
UC Irvine |
Senior |
Forward |
San Luis, Ariz. |
| Cameron Sims |
Cal State Northridge |
Senior |
Forward |
Ontario, Calif. |
| Amani Walker |
UC Irvine |
Junior |
Forward |
San Diego, Calif. |
| David Walker |
UC Santa Barbara |
Senior |
Forward |
Orange, Calif. |
| Carlos Aguilar |
UC Irvine |
Senior |
Midfielder |
Palmdale, Calif. |
| Danny Barrera |
UC Santa Barbara |
Sophomore |
Midfielder |
Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| +Sunghyun Kim |
Cal State Northridge |
Senior |
Midfielder |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Luis Silva |
UC Santa Barbara |
Sophomore |
Midfielder |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Chad Borak |
Cal State Northridge |
Senior |
Defender |
Palmdale, Calif. |
| Michael Boxall |
UC Santa Barbara |
Junior |
Defender |
Auckland, New Zealand |
| Martin Hedevag |
UC Santa Barbara |
Senior |
Defender |
Gothenburg, Sweden |
| Kevin Santora |
UC Irvine |
Senior |
Defender |
Los Altos, Calif. |
| Sam Hayden |
UC Santa Barbara |
Junior |
Goalkeeper |
Jackson Hole, Wyo. |
| Second Team |
| Player |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Michael Nonni |
UC Santa Barbara |
Freshman |
Forward |
West Vancouver, British Columbia |
| Spencer Thompson |
UC Irvine |
Junior |
Forward |
Ahwatukee, Ariz.
|
| David Zamora |
Cal Poly
|
Junior |
Forward |
San Jose, Costa Rica |
| Machael David |
UC Santa Barbara |
Freshman |
Midfielder |
Tacoma, Wash. |
| Jacob Hustedt |
Cal Poly |
Sophomore |
Midfielder |
Sandy, Utah |
| Paul Marcoux |
UC Davis |
Senior |
Midfielder |
Mountain View, Calif. |
| Josh Didion |
Cal Poly |
Senior |
Defender |
Fullerton, Calif. |
| David Lozano |
UC Riverside |
Senior |
Defender |
Dana Hills, Calif. |
| Michael Tetteh |
UC Santa Barbara |
Sophomore |
Defender |
Accra, Ghana |
| Patrick Sigler |
Cal Poly |
Sophomore |
Defender |
Windsor, Calif. |
| Patrick McLain |
Cal Poly |
Sophomore |
Goalkeeper |
Eau Claire, Wis. |
Honorable Mention
|
| Player |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown |
| Celso Alvarez |
Cal State Fullerton |
Junior |
Forward |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Waid Ibrahim |
UC Santa Barbara |
Sophomore |
Forward |
Jaskian, Ghana |
| Chris Leer |
UC Davis |
Senior |
Forward |
Danville, Calif. |
| Rene Anguiano |
Cal State Northridge |
Freshman |
Midfielder |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Jonathan Prieto |
UC Irvine |
Freshman |
Midfielder |
La Habra, Calif. |
| Shay Spitz |
Cal State Fullerton |
Senior |
Midfielder |
Sydney, Australia |
| Corey Attaway |
UC Irvine |
Junior |
Defender |
Chino, Calif. |
| Dylan Riley |
Cal State Northridge |
Senior |
Defender |
Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| Matt Sanders |
Cal State Fullerton |
Senior |
Defender |
Orange, Calif. |
| Michael Abalos |
Cal State Northridge |
Freshman |
Goalkeeper |
San Juan Capistrano, Calif. |
+ - Two-time All-Big West First Team selection
2009 Big West Offensive Player of the Year
Irving Garcia, UC Irvine |
2009 Big West Goalkeeper of the Year
Sam Hayden, UC Santa Barbara |
2009 Big West Midfielder of the Year
Danny Barrera, UC Santa Barbara |
2009 Big West Freshman of the Year
Machael David, UC Santa Barbara |
2009 Big West Defensive Player of the Year
Martin Hedevag, UC Santa Barbara |
2009 Big West Coach of the Year
Terry Davila, Cal State Northridge |