Nov. 17, 2004
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -
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Eight Santa Clara University men's soccer players were honored by the West Coast Conference today as the WCC announced the men's soccer All-West Coast Conference Teams. Medhi Ballouchy and Will Weatherly were each named to the All-WCC First Team, while senior Jason Pan was named to the All-WCC Second Team.
"I am very pleased that these players received the recognition that they did from the West Coast Conference," said head coach Cameron Rast. "Each of these young men are very deserving of these honors."
Ballouchy, who was the conference's Player of the Month in September and the first 2004 recipient of the WCC Player of the Week award, paced the Broncos in the regular season with 14 points. The Casablanca, Morocco native also led the team and ranked second in the WCC with eight assists on the season.
A senior co-captain, Weatherly was named to the first team for the second straight season. One of two Broncos' to start all 20 matches this season, Weatherly scored two goals and recorded three assists in 2004.
Another of the Bronco co-captains, Pan earns his first such honor from the conference. A starter on the SCU back line in every match this season, Pan has anchored a defense that ranks 10th in the country with a .700 goals against average. This season, Santa Clara has posted 11 shutouts, a total that ranks third in the SCU record books.
Freshman Peter Lowry, sophomore Keith DeVey, junior Ryan Purtell and sophomore Hector Guzman were each received WCC Honorable Mention, while Lowry and Matthew Hatzke were named to the All-Freshman Team.
San Francisco's Aaron Chandler won the conference's Player of the Year honor, while Don Head coach Erik Visser was named Coach of the Year after leading USF to the WCC Championship and a postseason berth. Portland's Michael Gavin earned the Freshman of the Year award, while Matt Kovar of Loyola Marymount was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
17th-ranked Santa Clara (15-5-0) will head into the postseason on Friday with a 1:30 p.m. NCAA First Round match-up with California in Berkeley, Calif. The match marks the second straight and 15th overall NCAA Championships appearance for the Broncos, who won the National Championship in 1989.
