Ivan Ramirez fueled an upset of No. 13 UC Santa Barbara and David Rodriguez Elias tied the school’s single-season shutouts record as the highlights for this week’s men’s soccer award winners.
Ramirez Impactful In Two Solid Results For Hornets
Sacramento State junior Ivan Ramirez (San Jose, Calif./Santa Teresa HS) captured Big West Men’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors after providing crucial points against a pair of North Division opponents.
A 5-10 midfielder, Ramirez led the Hornets with a goal and two assists for the week as they pulled off a 5-2 upset of No. 13 UC Santa Barbara and leveled 1-1 with a red hot UC Davis side. The four points the Hornets gained in the Big West standings kept the team in the hunt for a conference tournament berth.
In the UCSB victory, Sacramento State’s first against a ranked opponent since 2011, Ramirez helped stake his team to a 1-0 with an assist on an Isaac Flores goal in the 24th minute. He then delivered the back breaker at the 63:12 mark as he capitalized on a UCSB turnover. Ramirez dribbled around the UCSB goalkeeper and finished into an open net to give the Hornets a 3-1 lead with the eventual game-winning goal. It was his only shot of the game.
Ramirez recorded the primary assist on Sacramento State’s game-tying goal in the 54th minute of a 1-1 draw with Causeway Cup rival UC Davis on Saturday. His cross connected with Cylus Sandoval, who finished into an open goal. The Hornets picked up a point against an Aggie squad that had gone 6-1-1 in its previous eight contests.
Ramirez is now tied for second in the Big West with five assists on the season.
Others nominated: Kip Colvey (Cal Poly); Carlos Gonzalez (CSUN); Jaime Phillips (UC Irvine)
Elias Ties Cal State Fullerton Single-Season Shutouts Record
Recording a pair of shutouts, Cal State Fullerton junior goalkeeper David Rodriguez Elias (Huntington Beach, Calif./Golden West CC) tied the school’s single-season record in garnering Big West Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Elias collected his eighth and ninth clean sheets as the Titans downed CSUN (1-0) and UC Irvine (3-0) to extend their North Division lead to six points. In blanking both opponents, Elias tied Mike Ammann (1993) for the CSF single-season shutouts record with nine.
The netminder made a combined six saves against the Matadors and Anteaters, including the four stops against UCI that raised his season total to 42. Elias lowered his goals against average to a conference-low 0.78 on the year.
Others nominated: Kody Wakasa (Cal Poly); Adam Hobbs (CSUN); James Del Curto (Sacramento State)