Seniors Gor Kirakosyan of UC Irvine and Ramon Martin Del Campo of UC Davis received Big West Men’s Soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week recognition to close out non-conference competition.
Kirakosyan Repeats As Top Offensive Player
UC Irvine midfielder Gor Kirakosyan (Burbank, Calif./Pasadena CC) racked up his second consecutive men’s soccer weekly honor as he extended his goal scoring streak to four straight games.
Kirakosyan, who notched the game-winning goals last week against Loyola Marymount and San Diego, pounded home two more goals at the UNLV Rebel Classic in Las Vegas. The two scores allowed him to remain tied for the team lead with five goals and 12 points.
In a 4-2 triumph against host UNLV, Kirakosyan staked the Anteaters to a 1-0 lead with a goal in the 18th minute. Closing out the tournament against Utah Valley, Kirakosyan rescued the ‘Eaters from defeat as his 80th minute strike tied the match at 1-1 and sent it into overtime, where UCI eventually pulled out the 2-1 victory.
The midfielder provided more late game heroics against the Toreros as he hooked up with a cross from Cameron Iwasa and deposited a shot inside the right post for the game-winner at the 91:50 mark. Kirakosyan took a match-high four shots in the game. He took five shots for the week, including three on frame. UCI, ranked No.4 nationally, is unbeaten (8-0-1) in its first nine games.
Others nominated: Sagi Lev-Ari (CSUN); Chimdum Mez (Sacramento State); Drew Murphy (UC Santa Barbara)
Del Campo Facilitates Strong Aggie Defensive Effort
UC Davis senior Ramon Martin Del Campo (Chula Vista, Calif./Bonita Vista HS) anchored an Aggie defense that handcuffed West Coast Conference opponents San Francisco and Saint Mary’s in a pair of draws.
Del Campo led a defensive charge that limited the Dons and Gaels to just six shots on goal over 220 minutes of soccer. He also got in on the scoring act, converting a penalty kick in the 64th minute to give the Aggies a 1-0 lead over Saint Mary’s. It represented his first goal in two years after scoring his previous goal in September of 2012 versus San Francisco. He led the Aggies with three shots against the Gaels.
Others nominated: Wade Hamilton (Cal Poly); Mitchell Bell (Cal State Fullerton); Thomas Janjigian (UC Irvine)