Men’s Soccer Sweeps Major Awards, Nets 12 Total All-Conference Selections
TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College took home every major award and secured eight selections to the 2023 All-South Coast Conference Team, it was announced Tuesday.
The Warriors swept all four individual awards on the All-SCC South Division Team while netting four players apiece on the first and second teams.
Freshman Marvin Gamez was named the SCC-South Division Offensive Player of the Year after leading the conference in scoring with 20 goals and 48 points overall. His 20 goals were tied for the fourth most in the state. He played and started in 18 matches this season and led the Warriors in goals, points and game-winning goals (7).
Sophomore Nicholas Baltazar was named to the SCC-South Division Defensive Player of the Year. He played and started in all 20 matches for the Warriors and helped anchor a defense that allowed just 0.65 goals per game during the regular season.
For the second straight season, Donovan Palomares was named the SCC-South Division Goalkeeper of the Year. Palomares recorded a 19-1-0 overall record as he made 60 saves on the season, recording 12 shutouts. He was third in the state and first in Southern California with a 0.56 goals against average while ranking fifth in the state and second in SoCal with an .845 save percentage.
Head coach Mike Jacobson was named the SCC-South Division Coach of the Year for the first time in his five-year tenure as head coach of the Warriors. The team went 19-1-0 during the regular season and went undefeated in SCC play to secure the regular season conference title. The Warriors also won the SCC Tournament title for the first time in the four-year existence of the tournament. The team earned the No. 1 overall seed in the 2023 3C2A Men's Soccer Southern California Regional Playoffs and was ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation by the United Soccer Coaches' Poll for the first time in program history.
Bogart Roca, Jovanny Mejia, Ty Kerns and Charlie Cazares were all named to the All-SCC First Team. Roca played in 18 matches, making 17 starts on the right side of the back line during the year. He was a member of one of the best defenses in the state but also shined offensively, scoring two goals while tying for second on the team with nine assists. It was his second career selection to the All-SCC Team after earning a second-team nod last year.
Mejia played and started in all 20 matches for the Warriors during the regular season. He scored seven goals and led both the Warriors and the conference with 10 assists. He had one game-winning goal on the season.
Kerns played in all 20 matches for the Warriors during the season, making 19 starts. He scored two goals with one game-winner and added seven assists.
Cazares played in 17 matches and tied for second on the team with nine assists to go along with one goal.
Meanwhile, four freshmen made their way onto the All-SCC Second Team with Shingo Nakano, Diego Garcia, Alex Salas and Franco De Luna earning the honors.
Nakano was the Warriors' top reserve, playing in 18 matches but making just four starts. That did not stop him from lighting up the scoreboard as he was second on the team with 12 goals including two game winners. He also added five assists.
Garcia played and started in all 20 matches for ECC during the regular season and he was fourth on the squad with nine goals. He had one game winner and also added three assists during the year.
Salas did not make his team debut until the fourth match of the season but he made his mark. In just 14 matches and three starts, Salas scored three goals and was tied for third on the team with eight assists.
De Luna was another member of the Warriors stingy back line as he played and started in all 20 matches for ECC during the regular season. He did his part on offense, scoring four goals including two game winners while dishing out two assists.