Wednesday, November 11, 2015

PORTLAND, Ore. – The league’s top distributor and top goalkeeper headline the selections to the 2015 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Men’s Soccer All-Conference Team.

Northwest Nazarene senior forward Julio Castillo was named by the league’s coaches as the GNAC Player of the Year. A two-time first team selection, the creating Castillo led the GNAC with 15 assists and finished sixth in Division II with 0.83 assists per game. He also finished third in the league with 23 points and scored four goals, including two game-winners.

Castillo and fellow first team selection, senior defender Abraham Placito, led the Crusaders to a 12-6-1 overall record and a third place GNAC finish at 8-5-1.

Seattle Pacific junior Cody Lang, one of the best goalkeepers in the nation, was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year. Lang is the 12th player in GNAC history to be named to the first team in three or more seasons after anchoring a Seattle Pacific defense that allowed just eight goals in 18 matches en route to the GNAC championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He led the GNAC and ranks fourth in Division II with a .468 goals against average and is seventh in the nation with an .867 save percentage. Lang opened the season with a 612-minute scoreless streak.

Lang is one of four Falcons selected to the first team, joining senior midfielder Danny Olivas and junior defenders Davis Karaica and Chaz Jenkins.

Seattle Pacific head coach Mark Collings was selected by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and for the third time in his career. Collings led the Falcons to a 14-1-3 regular season overall record, 10-1-3 conference mark and their fifth straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

Simon Fraser forward Adam Jones was named the league’s Freshman of the Year. A starter in all 17 of the Clan’s matches, Jones led the team with eight goals, including three game-winners, and six assists. He led the GNAC with 73 shots, finished tied for third in goals and was ranked fourth with 22 points. He finished ranked ninth in Division II with 4.29 shots per game.

Jones was one of three Simon Fraser freshmen named to the first team. He was joined by midfielders Mamadi Camara and Kyle Jones. The Clan finished with a 10-3-4 overall record and second in the GNAC at 9-2-3, three points behind Seattle Pacific, but were denied an invitation to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

Montana State Billings’ sophomore forward Ricardo Palomino and Simon Fraser sophomore defender Pascal Schmidt share the Newcomer of the Year award. Palomino, who also made the first team, led the GNAC and finished 11th in Division II with 16 goals, which included a pair of three-goal performances against South Dakota Mines and Concordia. He also led the GNAC with 34 points. Schmidt, an honorable mention to the all-conference team, helped anchor a Simon Fraser defense that allowed just 12 goals all season. He started in 16 of the Clan’s 17 matches.

Concordia forward Matt Paine, who led the team in scoring with 11 goals and 29 points, rounded out the first team selections.

The team features eight unanimous selections: Castillo, Paine, Adam Jones and Kyle Jones, Camara, Olivas, Placito and Lang. The squad also features 16 repeat selections, led by Lang and his third first team nod. Northwest Nazarene had eight total selections to the all-conference team, four on the first two teams. Seattle Pacific and Simon Fraser each had seven selections, with the Falcons netting six on the first and second teams.