IRVINE, Calif. -- The Big West has released its 2023 all-conference teams and major award winners prior to Wednesday’s kickoff of The Big West Men’s Soccer Championship.
Cal State Fullerton claimed five of the six major awards with junior forward
Roberto Ordonez as the Offensive Player of the Year, junior midfielder
Erick Serrano as the Midfielder of the Year, junior defender
Giovanni Calderon as the Defensive Player of the Year, senior goalkeeper
Tetsuya Kadono as the Goalkeeper of the Year and head coach
George Kuntz as the Coach of the Year. The Freshman of the Year honor went to CSUN’s
Jorge Solorzano.
Ordonez has played in 17 games with 14 starts for a total of 1,008 minutes this season. The McAllen, Texas native is the top point scorer in the conference and ninth in the nation with 28 points (nine goals, 10 assists). The junior’s 10 assists is the most in the league as well, and ranks third in the NCAA. Ordonez is the first-ever Offensive Player of the Year from Cal State Fullerton.
Serrano has competed in all 19 games, with 18 starts, and has logged a total of 1,276 minutes. The Mecca, Calif. product has dished out a conference second-best eight assists, which ranks 18th nationally, to go along with four goals this year. The junior joins Sebastian Cruz (2022) and Ross McPhie (2017) as the third Midfielder of the Year in Titans’ program history.
Calderon has started in 18 games, playing a full 90 minutes in 12, for a total of 1,550 minutes. The junior has two assists on the year and is part of the Titan back line that has a goals-against average of 1.26. Calderon is Cal State Fullerton’s first-ever Defensive Player of the Year.
Kadono has played and started in 18 games logging 1,551 minutes this season. The Irvine, Calif. product has a goals-against average of 1.10, a save percentage of 0.753, 58 saves and five shutouts on the season. It is the first time that a Titan goalkeeper has won the award.
Solorazno played in 18 matches this season with 14 starts with five goals and three assists for 13 points. The rookie midfielder is the fifth Matador to win Freshman of the Year after David Diaz (2022), Kevin Guppy (2005), Willie Sims (2003) and Yossi Raz (2001).
Kuntz was voted by peers as the Coach of the Year for the first time as the head coach of Cal State Fullerton and fourth in career combined with three won as the helmsman of UC Irvine. The Titans’ 10th-year head coach led Cal State Fullerton to a 12-4-3 overall record and The Big West regular-season crown with 6-2-1 record for 19 points. The Titans lead the league in goals with 36 on the season and goal differential at +12.
Ordonez, Serrano, Calderon and Kadono are accompanied on the 13-member All-Big West First Team by teammate
Sulaiman Bah, UC Santa Barbara’s
Mikkel Goeling,
Lucas Gonzalez and
Alexis Ledoux, UC Irvine’s
Ricardo Ibarra and
Mathias Winum, UC San Diego’s
Inaki Iribarren, Cal State Bakersfield’s
Bryson Hankins and CSUN’s
Jamar Ricketts.
Bah is Cal State Fullerton’s second-leading scorer with eight goals, three of them being game-winners. Goeling (four goals, three assists), Gonzalez (five goals, five assists) and Ledoux (three goals, one assist) are key pieces for the Gauchos, the second-most potent scoring team in the conference. Winum (one assist) and Ibarra (two goals) are the backbone of UC Irvine’s defense that have a goals-against average of 0.94. Iribarren is the top scorer in the conference with 11 goals. Ricketts is the third-leading point scorer in The Big West with 21 points (eight goals, five assists). Hankins has three goals and four assists, and is part of the Roadrunner back line that has a league-best goals-against average of 0.82.
Mario Anaya (UC Irvine),
Max Carvalho (UC San Diego),
Oscar Cervantes (UC Irvine),
Brendan Clark (UC Riverside),
Cason Goodman (UC Davis),
Ethan Hoard (UC Davis),
Marci Killeen (Cal State Fullerton),
Mason Lamb (Cal State Fullerton),
Connor Mautino (Cal State Bakersfield),
Luke Pruter (UC Irvine),
Emory Rapaport (Cal Poly) and
Caden Vom Steeg (UC Santa Barbara) were awarded All-Big West Second Team honors.
Honorable mention accolades go to
Jackson Kestler (Cal Poly),
Nemo Philipp (UC Santa Barbara),
Luke Schaefer (Cal Poly),
Ryan Dieter (UC Davis),
Jorge Quintero (Cal State Fullerton),
Cody Sundquist (Sacramento State),
Michael Arrington (CSUN),
Bryan Bustamante (CSUN),
Luka Geishauser (Cal State Bakersfield) and
Brandon Limes (Cal State Bakersfield).
Solorzano headlines the 13-member Big West All-Freshman Team, alongside the Cal Poly trio of
Rylan Firouznam,
Diego Guerra and
Joaquin Torres, the Cal State Bakersfield’s threesome of
Luka Geishauser,
Adrian Jogerst and
Jesse Wangusi, the UC Irvine duo of
Mauricio Gutierrez and
Brady Treinen, UC Santa Barbara’s
Kavi Krishnan, UC Riverside’s
Nathan Scott, UC San Diego’s
Evan Wellerstein and Killeen.
The six-team Big West Men’s Soccer Championship gets underway Wednesday with a pair of first-round tilts at higher-seeded campus sites. Fifth-seeded Cal Poly plays at No. 4 seed UC Davis at 3 p.m., and Sixth-seeded UC Riverside is at No. 3 seed UC Santa Barbara at 7 p.m.
Regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Cal State Fullerton will be joined by Wednesday’s two advancing sides, as well as No. 2 seed UC Irvine, in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 4. The Titans will host either the Aggies or Mustangs, while the Anteaters welcome in the Gauchos or Highlanders. The championship match Saturday, Nov. 11, takes place on the campus of the highest remaining seed, with the winner earning The Big West’s automatic bid into the 2023 NCAA Championship. All five games are scheduled to air live on ESPN+.
| The Big West 2023 Men's Soccer All-Conference Team |
| Offensive Player of the Year: Roberto Ordonez, Cal State Fullerton |
| Midfielder of the Year: Erick Serrano, Cal State Fullerton |
| Defensive Player of the Year: Giovanni Calderon, Cal State Fullerton |
| Goalkeeper of the Year: Tetsuya Kadono, Cal State Fullerton |
| Freshman of the Year: Jorge Solorzano, CSUN |
| Coach of the Year: George Kuntz, Cal State Fullerton |
| All-Big West First Team |
|
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Position |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Sulaiman Bah |
Jr. |
F |
Cal State Fullerton |
Bo Town, Sierra Leone |
| Giovanni Calderon |
Jr. |
D |
Cal State Fullerton |
North Haven, Conn. |
| Mikkel Goeling |
Jr. |
M |
UC Santa Barbara |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
| Lucas Gonzalez |
Sr. |
M |
UC Santa Barbara |
Long Beach, Calif. |
| Bryson Hankins |
Jr. |
D |
Cal State Bakersfield |
Bakersfield, Calif. |
| Ricardo Ibarra |
R-Sr. |
D |
UC Irvine |
San Jose, Calif. |
| Iñaki Iribarren |
Gr. |
M |
UC San Diego |
Pamplona, Spain |
| Tetsuya Kadono |
Sr. |
GK |
Cal State Fullerton |
Irvine, Calif. |
| Alexis Ledoux |
Jr. |
F |
UC Santa Barbara |
La Talaudiere, France |
| roberto Ordonez |
Jr. |
F |
Cal State Fullerton |
McAllen, Texas |
| Jamar Ricketts |
Jr. |
F |
CSUN |
Montclair, N.J. |
| Erick Serrano |
Jr. |
M |
Cal State Fullerton |
Mecca, Calif. |
| Mathias Winum |
Jr. |
D |
UC Irvine |
Trondheim, Norway |
| All-Big West Second Team |
|
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Position |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Mario Anaya |
R-Sr. |
M |
UC Irvine |
Livermore, Calif. |
| Max Carvalho |
Jr. |
F |
UC San Diego |
Aliso Viejo, Calif. |
| Oscar Cervantes |
Sr. |
M |
UC Irvine |
Indio, Calif. |
| Brendan Clark |
Sr. |
D |
UC Riverside |
Pompano Beach, Fla. |
| Cason Goodman |
So. |
F |
UC Davis |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Ethan Hoard |
Sr. |
D |
UC Davis |
Racine, Wis. |
| Marci Killeen |
Fr. |
M |
Cal State Fullerton |
Brea, Calif. |
| Mason Lamb |
Jr. |
D |
Cal State Fullerton |
Clermont, Fla. |
| Connor Mautino |
Jr. |
F |
Cal State Bakersfield |
Lake Forest, Calif. |
| Luke Pruter |
Jr. |
GK |
UC Irvine |
Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. |
| Emory Rapaport |
Gr. |
D |
Cal Poly |
Portland, Ore. |
| Caden Vom Steeg |
Jr. |
D |
UC Santa Barbara |
Santa Barbara, Calif. |
| Honorable Mention: F - Jackson Kestler (Jr., Cal Poly), Nemo Philipp (Jr., UC Santa Barbara), Luke Schaefer (So., Cal Poly); M - Ryan Dieter (Sr., UC Davis), Jorge Quintero (Jr., Cal State Fullerton), Cody Sundquist (Sr., Sacramento State); D - Michael Arrington (Sr., CSUN), Bryan Bustamante (Sr., CSUN), Luka Geishauser (Fr., Cal State Bakersfield); GK - Brandon Limes (Jr., Cal State Bakersfield); |
| All-Freshman Team |
|
|
| Rylan Firouznam (Cal Poly), Mauricio Gutierrez (UC Irvine), Luka Geishauser (Cal State Bakersfield), Diego Guerra (Cal Poly), Adrian Jogerst (Cal State Bakersfield), Marci Killeen (Cal State Fullerton), Kavi Krishnan (UC Santa Barbara), Nathan Scott (UC Riverside), Jorge Solorzano (CSUN), Joaquin Torres (Cal Poly), Brady Treinen (UC Irvine), Jesse Wangusi (Cal State Bakersfield), Evan Wellerstein (UC San Diego); |