2019 MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Nationally ranked programs UC Davis and UC Santa Barbara – the two schools pitted against each other in Friday’s Big West Tournament finals – earned a majority of the major awards to highlight the announcement of the 2019 Big West Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team Tuesday.
Regular season champion UC Davis took home two primary awards as WALLIS LAPSLEY was named the Goalkeeper Player of the Year and DWAYNE SHAFFER the Coach of the Year. The UC Santa Barbara trio of NOAH BILLINGSLEY, THIBAULT CANDIA and FINN BALLARD McBRIDE captured Defensive Player of the Year, Co-Midfielder of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors, respectively. VICTOR FALCK of UC Irvine was the other half of the Co-Midfielder of the Year designation. CSUN junior DANIEL TREJO also collected Offensive Player of the Year honors.
The all-conference first team consisted of seven seniors and six juniors. UC Santa Barbara junior RODNEY MICHAEL garnered his third straight first team all-conference nod. Four individuals made the first team for the second time in their careers – Trejo, Billingsley, UC Davis junior NABI KIBUNGUCHY and UC Santa Barbara junior HUNTER ASHWORTH.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR • DANIEL TREJO, CSUN
Junior • Forward • Mendota, Calif. • Mendota HS
• Second Matador to be named the top offensive player – and first in 15 years. Joined Willie Sims (2003-04) on the list.
• Tied for the Big West lead in goals (9) and tied for third in assists (7).
• Led the Big West with 25 points.
• Tallied at least one point in 11 of 19 contests.
• Posted multi-goal games against Dayton and UCLA.
• Had the game-winning assist against UC Irvine to help CSUN into the Big West Tournament.
• Big West’s active career leader with 26 goals and 67 points.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR • NOAH BILLINGSLEY, UC SANTA BARBARA
Senior • Wellington, New Zealand • Onslow College
• Eighth Gaucho to be selected league’s top defensive player and the first since 2014.
• Opponents scored just 10 goals in the 13 games he started this season.
• Key reason UCSB ranks No. 2 in the Big West in goals against average (0.89) and fewest goals allowed (18).
• Played in seven of the team’s 10 shutouts when not representing New Zealand at the Oceania Football Confederation U-23 Championship in Fiji.
• Tied for No. 8 in the league in assists (5). Became first Gaucho since 2003 to post three assists in a game (Cal State Fullerton, Oct. 12).
CO-MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR • VICTOR FALCK, UC IRVINE
Senior • Landvetter, Sweden • University of Virginia
• Second straight and fifth Anteater overall to earn distinction.
• Ranked second on the team with 11 points on four goals and three assists.
• Notched a key goal to help UCI defeat nationally ranked UC Santa Barbara in an Oct. 19 road game.
CO-MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR • THIBAULT CANDIA, UC SANTA BARBARA
Senior • Paris, France • Temple
• Sixth Gaucho to receive the honor and first since 2016.
• Tied for No. 8 in the Big West with 18 points on six goals and six assists.
• Posted three goals against UMBC on Sept. 22 – one of just two players in the league with a hat trick this season.
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR • WALLIS LAPSLEY, UC DAVIS
Senior • Seattle, Wash. • Lakeside School
• Becomes second Aggie to be named top goalkeeper, joining Omar Zeenni (2013) on the list.
• Led Big West with 0.65 goals against average, allowing just 12 goals in 1,663 minutes played.
• His GAA ranks No. 13 nationally.
• Tops the Big West and is tied for No. 8 in the country with .818 save percentage. Stopped 54 of his 66 shots faced.
• Posted league second-best eight shutouts and set the UC Davis career record with 20 clean sheets.
• Has 34 career wins to tie for fifth all-time in the Big West record book.
COACH OF THE YEAR • DWAYNE SHAFFER, UC DAVIS
• Second Coach of the Year honor in three seasons – and third overall (2007, 2017, 2019).
• Guided Aggies to Big West regular season title with 16 points (5-1-1) after squad was picked to finish fourth in preseason coaches poll.
• Has Aggies ranked in three national polls – United Soccer Coaches (No. 24), Top Drawer Soccer (No. 19) and Soccer America (No. 17).
• Eight of his 11 starters were named all-conference.
• Led Aggies to 12-4-2 record with the 12 victories tying for the second-most in the Aggie Division I era (since 2007).
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR • FINN BALLARD McBRIDE, UC SANTA BARBARA
Forward • Sydney, Australia. • Newington College
• Continued incredible UCSB run as the program’s seventh award recipient in the last eight seasons.
• Tied for the Big West lead with nine goals on an incredibly efficient 18 shots taken.
• Ranked No. 2 in the conference with 20 points (9 G, 2 A).
• Scored six of his nine goals against Big West opponents – two being game-winners – and also had a goal against then-No. 1 Stanford.