Men's Soccer Lands Five Players on 2003 All-WCC Teams
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University men's soccer team had five of its players earn spots on the 2003 All-West Coast Conference teams while head coach Cameron Rast was named the WCC Coach of the Year on Wednesday.
Rast earns Coach of the Year honors in only his second season at the helm of his alma mater. He guided the Broncos to a 5-1-0 mark in league play, earning the 2003 WCC Championship. He led SCU to a top-10 ranking for most of the year, currently at No. 6 according to Soccer America, and will take the squad into the NCAA Tournament, which begins Friday evening at 7 p.m. against No. 15 SMU in Buck Shaw Stadium.
"This is much more of a recognition for my players than it is for me," said Rast. "We have a great tradition of soccer here at Santa Clara and it is the players who perform on the field that deserve the credit. I feel very fortunate to be able to work with such talented student-athletes."
Juniors Ryan Cochrane, Steve Cronin and Will Weatherly, who all fit that definition of talented student-athletes, secured first team honors following their standouts seasons. Cochrane helped the Broncos to a 0.65 goals-against average during the season while being named a Finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Award, which will be announced at the College Cup.
Cronin posted the league's best goals-against average with his 0.59 mark. His career goals-against average was lowered to 0.47 this season, giving him the second lowest mark in WCC history, second only to U.S. National Team keeper and former Portland standout Kasey Keller.
Weatherly led the league in shots and paced the Broncos with his 14 points that came on six goals and two assists. His game-winning goal against San Diego secured the league title for the Broncos and gave them the conference's automatic berth into the postseason.
Freshman Erik Ustruck earned second team All-WCC honors after the midfielder from Manchester, Mo., scored three goals in league play, all three of which were game-winners. Sophomore Kelechi Igwe rounded out the Bronco honorees as his honorable mention selection came after he tallied four goals and notched a team-high four assists in 2003.
Rast's selection as WCC Coach of the Year is the fourth such honor for a SCU men's soccer head coach in the 15-year history of soccer in the conference. Steve Samson claimed the honor in 1989 while Mitch Murray, Rast's predecessor and mentor, earned the honor in both 1991 and 2001.
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Cochrane Earns Second-Team All-America Honors
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Santa Clara University men's soccer defender Ryan Cochrane was named to the 2003 NSCAA/adidas Men's NCAA Division I All-America Second Team, the organization announced today at the NCAA College Cup.
Four players selected to the All-America team did not complete their collegiate seasons, instead traveling to the United Arab Emirates to compete for the United States in the Men's U-20 World Championships. They include first-team selections C.J. Klaas (Washington/Cherry Valley, Ill.) and Ned Grabavoy (Indiana/New Lennox, Ill.), the NSCAA/adidas Boys High School Player of the Year in 2000. Santa Clara's Ryan Cochrane (Portland, Ore.) was a second-team selection, and Michigan's Knox Cameron (Bronx, N.Y.) was a third-team pick. Only six players (all on the first team) were repeat selections from last year.
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Men's Soccer Honors Continue to Pile Up
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Following the 2003 season in which the Santa Clara University men's soccer team catapult itself back into the national spotlight with an appearance in the College Cup, the individual honors continue to pour in for both current and former SCU players.
Junior defender Ryan Cochrane added first team All-American accolades to his already impressive resume when CSTV (College Sports Television) tabbed him as one of only three defenders on their All-America squad. The honors is the third-straight year in which Cochrane has earned All-America status to go along with his three All-West Coast Conference selections, making him one of the most decorated soccer players in Santa Clara history.
Teammate and fellow junior Steve Cronin was honored by FIFA for his play in the recent U-20 World Championships that were held in the United Arab Emirates. The netminder from Fair Oaks, Calif., was named to the FIFA World Championships All-Tournament team for his play in the competition that included a pair of shutouts over Korea and the Ivory Coast. Cronin was also tabbed a first team All-WCC performer in 2003, notching a 13-2-3 overall record and a 0.60 goals-against average.
Former Broncos Joe Cannon and Jamil Walker have continued their success away from the Mission Campus and are beginning to make names for themselves on an international stage. Canon, who was a two-time Goalkeeper of the Year in Major League Soccer, was just called up by U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena to participate in the team's training camp at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The netminder is one of 30 players vying for a spot on the national team that will take to the field on January 18th in a match against Denmark.
Walker, who is just one year removed from his playing days at SCU, made a name for himself with his speed and aggressive play this past season for the MLS Cup Champions, San Jose Earthquakes. Walker netted five goals in his rookie season and also added an assist on a Landon Donovan goal in the MLS Cup game that sparked the Earthquakes to their second championship in the last three seasons. His play did not go unnoticed by U.S. Soccer who invited Walker to their U-23 team training camp that began earlier this month. Walker hopes to make the team that will represent the U.S. in the upcoming Olympic Games that will be held in Athens, Greece.
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Two Men's Soccer Players Named to NSCAA All-Far West Region Teams
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Two Santa Clara University men's soccer players were named to the NSCAA All-Far West Region Teams Tuesday afternoon. Junior defender Ryan Cochrane was selected to the first team while junior goalkeeper Steve Cronin earned second team honors.
The selection for Cochrane is the third in as many seasons for the junior from Portland, Ore. As a freshman he earned third team honors before earning a first team selection as a sophomore. As a junior Cochrane anchored a stingy Bronco defense that allowed only 14 goals in the 20 matches he appeared in.
For Cronin the award is the first of its kind for the junior from Fair Oaks, Calif. His 0.60 goals-against average not only led the WCC, but also ranked in the top-10 in the country for most of the season.
Both players also earned first team All-West Coast Conference honors after leading the Broncos to a 5-1-0 record in league play, giving the Broncos their ninth WCC title in program history and second in the last three seasons.
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Cochrane Tabbed as a M.A.C. Hermann Trophy Award
Semifinalist
Santa Clara University junior defender Ryan Cochrane was tabbed as
one of 15 players to watch this season for the M.A.C Hermann Trophy
that is presented annually to the top collegiate soccer player in
the country. A preseason All-American selection prior to the start
of the 2003 season, Cochrane is one of only four defenders on the
Hermann Trophy watch list. He is also one of only two players from
the West Coast on the list, joining UCLA midfielder Aaron Lopez Jr.
A nominating committee consisting of conference representatives
from each Division I conference will select a final ballot of the
top 15 candidates in early November. The winners of the award are
selected through voting by Division I collegiate coaches who are
members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The
winners will be announced in conjunction with the NCAA Men's
College Cup in Columbus, Ohio, in December.
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Weatherly Selected to All-College Cup Team
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Midfielder Will Weatherly was selected to the 2003 All-College Cup team following his four shot performance in Friday night's double-overtime loss to the eventual National Champions, Indiana Hoosiers.
The junior from Bellevue, Wash. led the Broncos on the season in both points and goals scored. His 17 points in 2003 came on seven goals and three assists. His overtime goal against Coastal Carolina in the third round propelled the Broncos to the NCAA quarterfinals where they defeated Michigan by a 3-1 score to advance to the 2003 College Cup.
Two of his four shots in the national semifinal match with Indiana proved to be the best two opportunities for the Broncos Friday night. His first real chance came in the first half when he took a deflected ball off a corner kick and sent the ball at goal where it bounced off the crossbar right into the waiting arms of Indiana's netminder
With the final few seconds ticking off the clock at the end of regulation, Weatherly took a long pass from fellow junior Jason Pan and sent the ball at the mouth of the goal from only eight yards out. If it were not for a brilliant save from Indiana goalkeeper Jay Nolly, the Broncos would have advanced on to Sunday's championship match.
As it turned out, the save cost Santa Clara its chance at the 2003 title as Indiana scored the lone goal of the game with less than four minutes remaining in the second overtime to end the Broncos' season with a 16-4-4 mark.
In addition to his All-College Cup team honor, Weatherly also earned first team All-WCC honors, first team WCC All-Academic honors and first team CoSIDA District VIII Academic All-American status in 2003.
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Weatherly Named to CoSIDA District VIII All-Academic First Team
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University men's soccer midfielder Will Weatherly was named to the 2003 CoSIDA Academic All-American All-District VIII First Team on Thursday. The junior from Bellevue, Wash., currently leads the team in points (12) and goals scored (5) while maintaining a 3.64 overall grade point average in Accounting.
"This is a well-deserved honor for Will," said head coach Cameron Rast. "He is a hard worker whose success on the field spills over into other areas of his life. I believe him to be the very definition of a student-athlete."
With his selection to the All-District VIII team, Weatherly earns a spot on the national ballot for Academic All-American. If selected he will join former Broncos Jack Zwissig (1971) and Eric Yamamoto (1987, 88, 89) as the only players to be selected to the Academic All-American team. Yamamoto is currently in his 13th season as an assistant coach for Santa Clara.
Weatherly, who is in his junior season on the Mission Campus, adds this honor to one from last year when he was selected to the West Coast Conference All-Academic team as a sophomore. He helped the Broncos to a 10-6-1 overall record and a 3-3-0 mark in WCC play in 2002 while maintaining a 3.50 overall GPA
Following an outstanding Spring quarter in which he posted a 3.85 term GPA, Weatherly saw his overall grade point average jump up to where it stands now at 3.64.
This season, he has helped the Broncos to a 12-2-3 overall record and a 4-0-0 mark in league play. They have the No. 4 national ranking from Soccer America and can clinch the WCC title this Saturday with a win over San Diego at 7 p.m. in Buck Shaw Stadium.
For his career, Weatherly has scored 10 goals and assisted on three others. His career point total is now at 23 with two more regular season games remaining in the 2003 campaign. He and the Broncos are in a good position for a high seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, an event they narrowly missed out on last season.
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Bronco Men's Soccer Celebrates Season
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Last weekend, the team members, coaches, parents and supporters of the Santa Clara University men's soccer program athered at the annual team banquet to celebrate another successful season and the Broncos' run to a fifth NCAA College Cup appearance in school history.
The program honored five players with team awards and heard the squad's seniors reflect on their time on the Mission Campus. Junior Ryan Cochrane was named the team's Defensive MVP, while fellow junior Will Weatherly earned Offensive MVP honors. Redshirt freshman Keith DeVey earned Most Improved honors and senior Kellen Gilmore was named Most Inspirational. Freshman Erik Ustruck was named the team's Rookie of the Year.
Earlier that day on Stanton Field, the Broncos competed in two spring competitions. In the first game, the Broncos knocked-off UC Santa Cruz by a score of 4-1. Mike Pellicio scored a first-half goal to give the Broncos a 1-0 lead at the break. Tannen Wels, Ryan Wolfe and Sil Garaventa each added a score in the second stanza. In the second game, Santa Clara and USF battled to a scoreless draw.
Team Banquet Comments
Cameron Rast: "Each Senior has a unique tale over
their time here at SCU. There is personal challenge in each of
their stories, perservence in all of their make-up and leadership
at the core."
Audren Cashman: "It was a dream of mine to play at Santa Clara and I am grateful you placed your trust in me to lead the squad this year, I hope I didn't ever misplace this trust."
Kirk Fonseca: "Don't give up on yourself, don't quit, because no matter how hard it gets, one day you would regret it."
Kellen Gilmore: "Santa Clara soccer is about tradition. That tradition is about hardwork and being committed to the team goal. This means coming in everyday to do your job without complaining or questioning the coaches."
Matt Upton: "I consider all of you (fellow players), my teammates, my friends and my brothers."