KANSAS CITY, Mo. — 14 standout student-athletes from four Big West institutions were named to the 2024 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's All-West Region teams on Tuesday.
A pair of goalkeepers, three defenders, five midfielders, and four forwards represent The Big West on the list of All-West Region accolades. Overall, six student-athletes are celebrated on the first team, while four more are honored across the second and third team lists.
Kennedy Justin, Jacey Jicha, and Nalani Damacion make up the first team for Hawai’i, and Justin, Jicha, and Damacion were named Big West Goalkeeper, Defender, and Midfielder of the Year, respectively.
Damacion, a freshman from Rocklin, Calif., capped the regular season campaign as the nation's leader in game-winning goals amongst all freshmen (5). Five of Damacion's seven scores this season came in the second half, four of which were within the final 10 minutes of regulation. The Big West Midfielder of the year also rewrote the conference record book after recording a league-high Freshman of the Week honors five times. Jicha jolted UH's defense and helped orchestrate a back line that allowed less than a goal (.60) per contest in conference play. Offensively, Jicha gathered three points (1 goal, 1 assist) this season. Justin sported the second-best GAA (.620) and save percentage (.846) in league play while tying for the top spot in shutouts with five. In total, Kennedy collected 67 saves over 20 matches (19 starts) for a 0.770 save percentage.
The UC Davis trio of Jayde Holley, Genavieve Fontes, and Sam Tristan got the nod to round out the list of first-teamers for the conference. Tristan took home Big West Offensive Player of the Year accolades to cap off the senior’s season.
Second team spots were secured by another pair of Aggies and Rainbow Wahine, with goalkeeper Caeley Goldstein and Emma Vane representing UCD while defender Alice Davidson and Brynn Mitchell boast in favor of UH.
Tristan tallied starts in all 19 contests for the Aggies in 2024 and accumulated a league-high in points (24), shots on goal (25), and was one of two only student-athletes to record double-digit scores (10) this season. The Fresno, Calif. native notched a spot on the preseason team heading into the year and was named Offensive Player of the Week twice this season (Aug. 26, Sept. 9). This is the first time in history a player from UC Davis has been recognized as The Big West Offensive Player of the Year. Fontes found the back of the net a league-high 11 times, one more than teammate Sam Tristan who took home the Offensive Player of the Year hardware. The midfielder found the back of the net three times against LSU in a thrilling 4-3 result in favor of UC Davis. Fontes was named the Top-Drawer Soccer National Player of the Week for the hat-trick performance against an SEC foe. Holley joins fellow Aggie teammates Fontes and Tristan on the second team. Holley had the conference lead in assists with eight total.
Four Big Westers remain on the third team with a duo from both Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine. Midfielder Isabella Cruz and Kaylee Noble notched a spot joining both Emilie Castagna, and Laila El Behery.
Cruz collects third-team accolades after finishing No. 2 on the Titans in points with 12 (4 goals, 4 assists). Noble doubled the forward's career high in goals (6) and finished second in the standings in SOG (23) and fifth in points at 15 (6 goals, 3 assists.) while was active for the Anteaters in 2024, finishing the year as the team's leading scorer with six goals.
The United Soccer Coaches will name its 2024 All-Americans for NCAA Division I women's soccer later this week.
2024 United Soccer Coaches All-West Region
First Team |
| Student-Athlete |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Nalani Damacion |
MF |
Fr. |
Hawai'i |
Rocklin, Calif. |
| Genavieve Fontes |
MF |
Sr. |
UC Davis |
Hilmar, Cailf. |
| Jayde Holley |
D |
R-Jr. |
UC Davis |
Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. |
| Jacey Jicha |
D |
Sr. |
Hawai'i |
Mililani, O‘ahu |
| Kennedy Justin |
GK |
Fr. |
Hawai'i |
Long Beach, Calif. |
| Sam Tristan |
F/MF |
Sr. |
UC Davis |
Fresno. Calif. |
| Second Team |
| Student-Athlete |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Alice Davidson |
D/F |
Fr. |
Hawai'i |
Scappoose, Ore. |
| Caeley Goldstein |
GK |
R-Sr. |
UC Davis |
Half Moon Bay, Calif. |
| Brynn Mitchell |
F |
Sr. |
Hawai'i |
Santa Cruz, Cailf. |
| Third Team |
| Student-Athlete |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Laila El Behery |
F |
Sr. |
UC Irvine |
Cairo, Egypt |
| Emilie Castagna |
F |
Jr. |
UC Irvine |
Bournemouth, England |
| Isabella Cruz |
MF |
Jr. |
Cal State Fullerton |
Kerman, Calif. |
| Kaylee Noble |
F |
So. |
Cal State Fullerton |
Lakewood, Calif. |