Nov. 13, 2012

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SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Freshman forward Pedro Velazquez was named the 2012 West Coast Conference Men's Soccer Freshman of Year while seven total Lions were named to the All-WCC teams, the league office announced Tuesday.

Velazquez and senior defender Mitch Boland topped the All-WCC list for LMU, both being named to the second team. Junior defender Bryce Bacic, freshman goalkeeper Paul Blanchette, sophomore midfielder John McFarlin, sophomore defender Craig Nitti and senior midfielder Sean Sears were all selected to the honorable mention team. Velazquez and Blanchette rounded out the honors by also earning spots on the All-WCC Freshman Team.

Velazquez becomes the third LMU player to be named the WCC Freshman of the Year, and the first since Roger Downes in 2008. The Carson, Calif., native led the Lions in total points and goals, finishing with 14 points on six goals and two assists. He was the also the only freshman to receive All-WCC honors this season.

Boland, a co-captain for his final collegiate campaign, was the anchor of the Lions' back line and the only squad member to start and appear in all 20 matches. He also chipped in a pair of goals and two assists for six points.

Among the five honorable mention team selections, McFarlin is the lone repeater, having earned honorable mention and All-Freshman Team selection as a rookie in 2011. This fall, he tallied one goal and a team-high four assists for the Lions.

Classmate Nitti served as a co-captain and tallied three goals and two assists from his central back position. Sears chipped in two goals and two assists on the year while Bacic contributed one assist from his outside back position. The rookie Blanchette took over the Lions' goalkeeping duties five matches into the season, posting 78 saves and a 1.21 GAA.

The young Lion squad closed out the 2012 season riding a five-match unbeaten streak on their way to a 6-10-4 overall record and 4-5-3 WCC mark.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Erik Hurtado, Sr., Forward, Santa Clara

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Trevor Newquist, Sr., Saint Mary's

GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Larry Jackson, Sr., Santa Clara

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Pedro Velazquez, Forward, LMU

2012 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Name, School, Class, Position
Jose Cabeza, Saint Mary's, Sr., M
James Cohn, San Diego, Sr., M
Mark Daus, Santa Clara, Jr., D/M
Dan Delgado, San Diego, Sr., M
Mauricio Diaz De Leon, San Francisco, Jr., M
Steven Evans, Portland, Jr., M
Nick Hamer, Gonzaga, Jr., M
Erik Hurtado, Santa Clara, Sr., F
Larry Jackson, Santa Clara, Sr., GK
Trevor Newquist, Saint Mary's, Sr., D
Patrick Wallen, San Diego, Sr., F

2012 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Name, School, Class, Position
Miguel Aguilar, San Francisco, So., F
Derek Boggs, Portland, So., M
Mitch Boland, LMU, R-Sr., D
Ricardo Carrillo, Portland, Sr., F
Christian Duke, San Diego, Sr., M
Elijah Galbraith-Knapp, San Diego, Jr., M
Liam Kelly, San Francisco, Jr., F
Lars Ludwigs, Gonzaga, R-So., M
Julian Ringhof, San Diego, R-Jr., D
Brendan Roslund, San Francisco, Sr., GK
Pedro Velazquez, LMU, Fr., F

2012 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE HONORABLE MENTION
Tariq Adam (Saint Mary's); Nathan Arambula (Saint Mary's); Bryce Bacic (LMU); Paul Blanchette (LMU); Murphy Campbell (Santa Clara); Greg Carter (Gonzaga); Matthew Chavez (San Diego); Matt Escobar (Santa Clara); Michael Escobar (Portland); Kevin Gould (San Francisco); Keith Grubisich (Portland); Drew Ilejevski (San Diego); Ryan Masch (Santa Clara); James Matern (Gonzaga); Conor McFadden (San Diego); John McFarlin (LMU); Carlos Montes (Santa Clara); Craig Nitti (LMU); Clark Phillips (Gonzaga); Andre Rawls (Saint Mary's); David Romney (San Francisco); Sean Sears (LMU); Joshua Smith (San Francisco); Forrest Solis (Saint Mary's); Jaime Velasco (Portland)

2012 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE FRESHMAN TEAM
Name, School, Position
Conner Bevans, Gonzaga, F
Paul Blanchette, LMU, GK Torrey DeArmas, San Diego, M
Kevin Gould, San Francisco, D
Ryan Masch, Santa Clara, F
Max Ornstil, Santa Clara, M
Hugo Rhoads, Portland, M
Joshua Smith, San Francisco, D/M
Forrest Solis, Saint Mary's, D
Jaime Velazco, Portland, F/M
Pedro Velazquez, LMU, F

-GO LIONS-