Serra’s Nate Coughlin, who led the team with 17 goals, was one of two Padres named to the WCAL all-league, first team. Midfielder Aydin Paz was the other Serra player to garner first-team recognition.
The Peninsula Athletic League soccer coaches decided long ago that because the positions of soccer are so different from each other, it’s near impossible — and simply not fair — to name an overall most valuable player.
Instead, player of the year awards are given to players at each position — forward, midfielders, defenders, goalkeepers, and freshman player of the year. Not surprisingly, players from division champions tended to reap most of the rewards.
On the boys’ side, Burlingame took home Forward of the Year, one of three midfield positions and one of three defenders slots for the Bay Division. Burlingame sophomore Dylan Rossen was named Forward of the Year. After sitting out the non-league portion of the schedule because of his transfer from Serra, Rossen hit the ground running in Bay play, helping guide the Panthers to their fourth Bay Division title in six years, as well as the school’s and county’s first-ever Northern California soccer title.
Rossen opened division play with a pair of goals against Sequoia and never really slowed down. None of his goals were bigger than the golden-goal, game-winner he scored in sudden-win overtime in a 2-1 win over Dougherty Valley-San Ramon in the finals of the Division II Nor Cal championship game.
Burlingame’s Altai Ordubadi was one of three midfielders selected for Midfielders of the Year. Joining him were Yovani Maldonado of Half Moon Bay and Menlo-Atherton’s Hewitt Stevenson.
Along the backline, Burlingame center back Hank Lane was joined by Carlmont’s Sean Kelly and Aaron Villafuerte from Sequoia. Lane, a senior, was a Panthers’ co-captain and anchored a defense that allowed 19 goals in 23 games.
In the Ocean Division, champion South City also won three player of the year awards. Delfino Martinez, a junior, shared Forward of the Year honors with Woodside senior Justin Galvez. Martinez scored 12 of his 17 goals during Ocean Division play to help lead the Warriors to the division crown.
Galvez was simply unstoppable this season, scoring 33 goals. That was good for tops in the Central Coast Section, among those teams that reported their statistics to Maxpreps.com. He was 18th in the state and 43rd in the nation.
Galvez scored 13 goals in 10 Ocean Division matches and scored in eight of 10 of those games.
In the midfield, South City’s Angel Ramirez was the lone Midfielder of the Year. He carried the Warriors’ offense early in the season, scoring nine of his 15 goals in non-league play. He finished with four goals and four assists in Ocean play, orchestrating the Warrior offense.
South City’s Eric Barajes was the division’s Defender of the Year, as he led a Warriors’ defense that allowed just six goals in 10 division games.
Hillsdale’s Emiliano Lopez, a sophomore, was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Lopez played every minute of every game for the Knights, allowing nine goals in 10 Ocean Division matches.
Lake Division champion El Camino claimed a share of three of the four categories. Junior Ryan Bollantini and Terra Nova junior Fabrizio Mutto shared Forward of the Year honors. Bollantini scored 10 goals in 10 Lake Division matches and 13 goals overall this season.
The Midfielders of the Year were El Camino’s Noah Flores, a junior, who was joined by Mills senior Kazuki Hensley. On the defensive line, Oceana’s Ryder Swanson and Terra Nova’s Matthew Sansot, both seniors, shared the Defender of the Year awards. A pair of juniors, El Camino’s Caleb Olivares and Terra Nova’s Treavor Hardeman, shared Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
For the complete list of Players of the Year and all-league teams, go to www.smcoe.org and click on the “Peninsula Athletic League” button.
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WBAL
League champion Menlo School garnered Midfielder and Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
Menlo School’s Sandro Velazquez was named the WBAL Midfielder of the Year after leading the Knights with 21 goals.
Pam McKenny/Menlo Athletics
Sandro Velazquez was named Midfielder of the Year after leading the Knights in scoring, averaging one goal a game and finishing with 21.
Menlo’s Ben Bishop was voted the league’s best goalkeeper, playing between posts every game, posting 10 shutouts. He went six games without allowing a goal during WBAL play, a streak of 480 scoreless minutes.
Sacred Heart Prep’s Matthew Fox was named Forward of the Year, while King’s Academy’s Grant Shanafelt was named Defender of the Year.
Serra did not garner any WCAL player of the year awards, but did place a pair of players on the all-league, first-team list.
Serra’s Nate Coughlin, who led the team with 17 goals, was one of two Padres named to the WCAL all-league, first team. Midfielder Aydin Paz was the other Serra player to garner first-team recognition.
Nathan Mollat/Daily Journal
Forward Nate Coughlin and midfielder Aydan Paz, both juniors, were both selected to the first team. Coughlin led the Padres in scoring this season, finishing with 17 goals and six assists. Paz, a midfielder, finished with five goals.
Regular-season champion St. Francis took Forward of the Year honors in senior David Hernandez-Escobar. Lancers sophomore Callum Todd was named Defender of the Year.
Mitty senior Manuel Portillo was named Midfielder of the Year and teammate Alan Quintero, also a senior, was Goalkeeper of the Year.
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