United Athletic Conference

Fresh off the 2019 WAC Men's Soccer Tournament title, the Seattle U Redhawks learned where they will head next as the Redhawks drew Loyola Marymount in the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. The Lions will play host to the match on Thursday in Los Angeles.

 

The Redhawks (14-3-4, 10-0-1 WAC) enter the national tournament riding the second-longest unbeaten streak in the country at 14 matches. Offensively, Seattle U is led by sophomore forward Declan McGlynn, who has 10 goals and seven assists this season. WAC Freshman of the Year James Morris has eight goals to go with two assists while Noe Meza also has eight goals for the Redhawks. In goal, WAC Tournament MVP Akili Kasim boasts a 0.82 goals-against-average and .735 save percentage with 10 shutouts on the season.

 

Loyola Marymount heads into the NCAA tournament with a record of 11-5-3 overall and 6-1-0 in the West Coast Conference. Offensively, the quartet of Duhaney Williams, Bastien Oberli, Jack Sauls and CJ Neville have four goals each for the Lions. Jacob Jackson has seen the majority of time in goal, holding a 0.82 goals-against-average and .800 save percentage with two shutouts.

 

The winner of Thursday's match will head up to the Bay Area to take on Stanford. The Cardinal earned the seventh-seed with a record of 13-2-3 overall and 6-2-2 in Pac-12 play.

 

After earning a 1-0 win over CSU Bakersfield on Friday, the Seattle U Redhawks played to a 1-1 draw with Utah Valley in the tournament final but used three big saves by tournament MVP Akili Kasim in a penalty kick shootout to earn the WAC's automatic selection to the NCAA Tournament. Kasim was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Julian Avila-Good, Nkosi Burgess and Declan McGlynn. Utah Valley was represented by Alec Felix, Mitch Jensen and Ahmed Longmire. Air Force duo Nick Blessing and Kainoa Likewise and CSU Bakersfield pair Detre Bell and Niklas Korber rounded out the 11-person team.

 

Seattle U became the fourth team in WAC men's soccer history to go through the WAC season without a loss, joining Air Force (2017), Seattle U (2013) and SMU (1998). Their 10 wins are also a new WAC-best, breaking the previous mark of nine from Seattle U (2015) and SMU (1999).

 

Seattle U continues to lead the WAC in shots (362), points (112), goals (39), goals against average (0.82), shutouts (10) and corner kicks (144). Utah Valley led the WAC in assists with 40 while UT Rio Grande VAlley had the least goals allowed (14). California Baptist held the top mark in saves (107).

 

Individually, UVU's Blake Frischknecht is the leader in shots (85), and game-winning goals (6) and is tied with AF's Tristan Trager for the lead in goals (13). Trager also led the league in points (30). SU's Declan McGlynn and AF's Lathan Spadafora are tied for the assists lead (7). In goal, SU's Akili Kasim holds the top goals against average (0.82) and is the leader in shutouts with 10. CBU's Albert Escuin is the leader in save percentage (.836) and saves (107). 

 

In WAC-only play, Seattle U held the top spot in shots (189), points (77) and assists (25). The Redhawks also tied Air Force for the lead in goals (26) and with UT Rio Grande Valley for the lead in least goals allowed (8). UTRGV led the league in goals against average (0.70) and shutotus (6) and California Baptist held the top mark in saves (71).

 

Individually, UVU's Frischknecht led the league in shots (55) and game-winning goals (4). AF's Trager was the leader in points (24) and goals (10). SU's McGylnn and AF's Spadafora are tied for the assists lead (6). In goal, UTRGV's Rios held a WAC-best 0.70 goals against average and six shutouts while CBU's Escuin holds the top mark in save percentage (.877) and saves (71).

 

 

Following the WAC Tournament, Seattle U remainded at 40th in the latest NCAA RPI rankings. Utah Valley moved up four spots to 83.

 

This week's United Soccer Coaches' Far West Regional Rankings feature two teams from the WAC. Seattle U remianed at third while Utah Valley remained at seventh.

 

Five WAC men's soccer players were honored for their success in the classroom as well as on the field as Grand Canyon's Austin Day and Utah Valley's Zach Maas repeated as Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and were joined by UVU's Mark Brown, UT Rio Grande Valley's Angel Lopez and California Baptist's Sebastian Wiesbock. Lopez represented the Vaqueros on the Division 7 squad while the other four were on the Division 8 team. 

 

To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his current institution. In addition, nominated athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games at the position listed. Honorees selected first-team Academic All-District® will advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. Academic All- America® honorees will be announced in early December.

 

Grand Canyon's Schellas Hyndman's historic year at the helm of the GCU men's soccer program is being followed with his induction into the United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame.

 

Hyndman, now in his 42nd year as a collegiate or professional head coach, will be inducted in January alongside New York prep coaching legend George Herrick and Ohio Wesleyan coaching great Dr. Jay Martin. The United Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame, established in 1991, selects up to three members per year for induction. Honorees are chosen with an emphasis on success in the game, work with the association and lifetime contributions to soccer.

 

Hyndman has coached at Eastern Illinois, SMU and GCU, as well as spending six seasons as an MLS head coach for FC Dallas. He holds the fifth most wins by a Division I men's soccer coach after reaching the historic 500-win mark for his collegiate career in this season's Aug. 30 opener against Northern Kentucky. Only South Carolina's Mark Berson has more wins among active Division I coaches.

 

Utah Valley senior midfielder Alec Felix was announced as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award®, given annually to a student-athlete who excels both on and off the field. Felix is a three-time Academic All-WAC selection and will graduate next April. Entering his final year of school, Felix has a 3.72 cumulative GPA.A two-time honorable mention All-WAC selection, he has started all but two games in his entire career. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. The Senior CLASS Award winner will be announced during the 2019 Men's College Cup® in December.

 

Eight men's soccer teams from the Western Athletic Conference have earned the United Soccer Coaches Team Academic Award for exemplary performance in the classroom as a team during the 2018-19 academic year. Houston Baptist had the highest team GPA among the WAC teams honored as the Huskies posted an impressive 3.44 grade-point average. Kansas City was next with a 3.40 GPA, followed by California Baptist at 3.34, Grand Canyon at 3.32, Utah Valley at 3.30, UT Rio Grande Valley at 3.21, Seattle U at 3.11 and CSU Bakersfield at 3.01. 345 men's teams across all three divisions were honored, with 255 schools receiving honors for both their men and women's team. Seven of the eight men's teams honored were joined by their women's teams on the list.

 

Grand Canyon head coach Schellas Hyndman became the fifth Division I men's soccer coach in history to win 500 games after his Lopes earned a season-opening win over Northern Kentucky on Aug. 30. South Carolina's Mark Berson is the only other active coach with over 500 wins.

 

UNLV junior defender Billy Jones missed some time with the Rebels  in September as he spent time in Fiji competing for his native New Zealand in Olympic Qualifiers. Jones and the Kiwis went undefeated in poll play, defeated host Fiji in the semifinals and won the tournament with a 5-0 win over Solomon Islands in the final. Jones scored New Zealand's final goal in the championship match.

 

Seattle U is the preseason favorite to win the 2019 Western Athletic Conference men's soccer title in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team.

 

The Redhawks collected five of 12 first-place votes and 112 total points to take the top spot. UT Rio Grande Valley was selected second with two first-place votes and 104 points. Air Force and Grand Canyon tied for the third spot with the Falcons earning three first-place votes and the Lopes earning one first-place vote and both teams garnering 88 points. UNLV was just one point back with 87 points to take the fifth spot. San José State, a tournament finalist the last two seasons, received the final first-place vote and 77 points to take the sixth spot. Utah Valley was selected seventh with 75 points, followed by California Baptist in eighth, CSU Bakersfield in ninth, Houston Baptist and Kansas City tied for tenth and UIW in 12th. 

 

UT Rio Grande Valley's Kyle Edwards and Grand Canyon's George Tasouris were selected as the WAC Preseason Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year respectively in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.

 

Edwards is joined on the Preseason All-WAC squad by teammate William Akio while Tasouris was the lone representative for GCU. UNLV and Seattle U each had three honored as Tyler Allen, Marco Gonzalez and Timo Mehlich represented the Rebels and Julian Avilia-Good, Declan McGlynn and Thomas Mickoski were the Redhawks' honorees. Air Force's Nick Blessing and San José State's Max Allen rounded out the 11-member team.

 

UT Rio Grande Valley's Kyle Edwards is the lone WAC representative on the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, released on Aug. 1. The senior scored 14 goals and recorded 33 points during a standout junior season, which saw him earn First Team All-WAC honors, as well as First Team All-Far West Region honors.

 

UT Rio Grande Valley forward Kyle Edwards was named to the Top Drawer Soccer Preseason Best XI, earning third team honors. Seattle U midfielder Jesse Ortiz was named to the TDS Freshman Best XI after scoring 13 goals for Houston Dynamo U-19 and three goals for Brazos Valley Cavalry FC of USL2 where he played with UTRGV's Edwards.

 

The WAC has 27 non-conference games against participants from the 2018 NCAA Men's Soccer Tournament. Seattle U and Grand Canyon might have a strong argument for who has the toughest non-conference schedule as the Redhawks are set to take on five NCAA participants (Denver, Indiana (at Notre Dame), at Notre Dame, Portland and Washington) while the Lopes will play four NCAA participants (Oregon State, at Saint Mary's, at UC Riverside and at Virginia Tech). CSU Bakersfield, Houston Baptist and San José State will each take on three NCAA participants. In total, 11 of the 12 WAC men's soccer programs will face a postseason participant in non-conference play.

 

The Western Athletic Conference has announced its All-WAC men's soccer teams and major awards as selected by the league's 12 head coaches. Utah Valley's Blake Frischknecht was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year and Seattle U's Nkosi Burgess was named WAC Defensive Player of the Year. Seattle U's James Morris was named WAC Freshman of the Year and his coach Pete Fewing took home WAC Coach of the Year.

 

Frischknecht, a senior forward from Las Vegas, was second in the WAC with 12 goals on the season, including eight in WAC play, and his six game-winning goals were a league best. He also ranked fifth in points in league play as he helped lead the Wolverines to a second-place finish in the standings.

 

Burgess, a graduate student from Manhattan, N.Y., made an immediate impact on the Redhawks back line after transferring to Seattle U from UConn. Appearing in 17 matches this season with 15 starts, he recorded 1,431 minutes on the pitch to help SU earn the regular season title. He also added a score and assist on the season.

 

Morris, a forward from Doncaster, England, adjusted almost immediately to the American game, scoring eight goals with two assists in 10 matches played. All his games came in conference play after he missed the first half of the season with a hand injury. He trained as a youth with hometown club Doncaster Rovers FC.

 

Fewing earns his third WAC Coach of the Year award after being previously recognized in 2013 and 2015. The all-time leader in WAC victories with 52, he holds a career record of 315-175-45 in his 26th season leading the Redhawks. In addition to leading the Seattle U men to an NAIA national title in 1997 and NCAA Division II national title in 2004, he coached the Kitsap Pumas to the 2011 PDL National Championship. Fewing is also an analyst for local broadcast of the 2019 MLS champion Seattle Sounders FC.