STEVERMER IS NWC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: For the second season in a row, Andrew Stevermer was named the Northwest Conference Men’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Stevermer was an All-Northwest Conference First Team and a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Second Team All-West Region selection. Stevermer was also named NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on three occasions this season, Sept. 21, Sept. 28 and Oct. 19. He has received the honors eight times in his career at Pacific.
This season, Stevermer started all 20 matches and only allowed 14 goals to be scored against him. He ended the season with a 0.68 goals against average placing him 41st in the national rankings. He also had 67 saves with a .827 save percentage. Stevermer collected nine shutouts and 14 wins.
“Andrew continues to play well and lead the defensive efforts," stated Jim Brazeau.
Stevermer ends his career owning three Pacific individual career records with 26 shutouts, 0.78 goals against average and 42 goalkeeper wins.
SIX OTHER BOXERS RECEIVE LEAGUE RECOGNITION: In addition to Stevermer, Mike
Iacolucci and Jasem Jaihouni were All-Northwest Conference First Team honorees. Kizamu Tsutakawa , Avery Neal and Patrick Murray were Second Team All-NWC selections and Sean Mills picked up Honorable Mention honors.
“I am very happy for all the players to be recognized by the coaches in the conference,” said Brazeau. “They have all been a very important part of the whole team and the success of the program.”
Iacolucci, who also collected NSCAA All-West Region Third Team honors as a defender, scored three goals for Pacific this season and assisted on another. Last season, Iacolucci was named to the 2009First Team All-NWC and NSCAA Second Team All-West Region and was a 2008 Honorable Mention All-NWC selection.
Midfielder Jaihouni led the Boxers with 10 assists and 20 points and also scored five goals. He ranked 22nd in the nation in assists and 32nd with 0.5 assists per game. Jaihouni received NWC Men’s Soccer Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week on Nov. 9. His 18 career assists rank second in Pacific’s history behind Billy Merck's 19. Last season, Jaihouni was an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection and was named Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 8.
Tsutakawa, a midfielder and second team selection, scored a team high eight goals this season, collected two assists and tallied 18 points. Tsutakawa was an Honorable Mention All-NWC player in 2009.
Neal, another midfielder and second team selection, netted a hat-trick in the first match of season against Warner Pacific on Sept. 1, scored four total goals and tallied four assists for the Boxers this season. Neal was named Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 4. Last season, he was named to Second Team All-NWC and ESPN/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII First Team. In 2008, Neal was an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection.
Midfielder Murray netted four goals, collected two assists and led the team with 57 shots. Last season, Murray received Defensive Student-Athlete of the week honors on Oct. 13.
Rounding out Pacific’s All-NWC selections is Mills. He netted six goals, collected three assists and accumulated 15 points. He was also an Honorable Mention All-NWC selection in 2009.
ALL-ACADEMIC SELECTIONS: Seniors Travis Birrell, Avery Neal and Mike Iacolucci were named to the ESPN Academic All-District VIII men’s soccer team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
For the second year in a row Birrell was a first team selection as a forward. He boasts a 3.89 grade point average while majoring in exercise science.
Neal and Iacolucci both earned second team selections. Neal, a first team selection in 2009, has a 3.88 grade point average with majors in exercise science and physics and Iacolucci carries a 3.67 grade point average while majoring in sociology.
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS, TRIP TO NATIONALS: The 2010 season met many of the goals set by the nine seniors at the beginning of the season. They were undefeated on home turf, won Northwest Conference title for the first time since 1996 and received a bid into the NCAA National Tournament for the first time since 1998.
The Boxers were 14-3-3 overall this season, 11 of their wins were shutouts. They won the NWC with a 10-2-2 record. They ranked as high as 11th in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com National Poll. In statistical rankings, Pacific finished 25th nationally with a 0.775 winning percentage, 32nd with a 0.55 shutout percentage and 33rd with a 0.66 team goals against average.
Highlight victories for the Boxers this season were a 2-1 win over Whitworth, the defending NWC champions, in the first conference match of the season on Sept. 17. Another was against Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 30. The Boxers claimed a 2-1 victory in double overtime to regain first place in the Northwest Conference. Finally, in the last conference match of the season Pacific shutout George Fox 4-0 to seal the title as NWC Champions.
The Boxers met Trinity (Texas) the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in the first round of the NCAA National Tournament. The Pacific defense was able to hold the Tigers, who scored 86 goals this season and averaged 3.74 goals per game, to just three goals. The Boxers netted one goal in the first round 3-1 loss to Trinity.
“I am very proud of the way the team played and what they have accomplished,” stated Brazeau. “I am especially proud of the seniors who played in their last game and left a great legacy for those that follow.”
DEFENDING HOME TURF: The home unbeaten streak continues. For the second season in a row the Boxers have not been defeated on home turf in Lincoln Park Stadium. They finished the season with a perfect 8-0-0 at home. Pacific has not lost at home since the 2-1 loss to Warner Pacific on Sept. 4, 2008. During this streak, they have accumulated a 21-0-4 record.
NATIONAL RANKING: Pacific cracked into the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com Division III National Poll for the first time since 1998 on Sept. 21. After starting the year with a 6-0-1 record, the Boxers debuted at 14th. They moved up and down for the rest of the season getting as high as 11th, but ended the season unranked, however, they did receive votes.
CONFERENCE LEADERS: Besides winning the conference title, the Boxers led the NWC with 343 shots, a 0.66 goals against average and 11 shutouts. Individually, Stevermer led the conference with a .827 save percentage and nine shutouts.
As a team, Pacific also ranked second with 111 points, 39 goals and 1.95 goals per game, 33 assists and 1.65 assists per game, 103 corner kicks and allowing only 14 goals against.
Ranking second individually, Murray had 57 shots and 2.85 shots per game. Jahouni tallied with 20 points and 1.00 point per game and 10 assists with 0.50 assists per game and scored three game-winng goals. Tsutakawa scored eight goals and had a 0.42 goals per game average. Stevermer was second with a 0.68 goals against average.
OPENING SEASON HAT TRICK: Avery Neal joined the few Pacific men’s soccer players who have obtained the honor of scoring three goals in a match. In the first match of the year on Sept. 1 against Warner Pacific, Neal netted three goals to lead Pacific to a 4-3 victory. He found the net twice in the first 45 minutes of play and knocked in a third goal to open the second 45 minutes. Neal joined teammate Jasem Jaihouni, who scored the last hat trick for Pacific in 2009, as the only current Boxers to achieve the achievement in their college careers.
Overall Record: 14-3-3
NWC Record Finish: 10-2-2, 32 pts. (1st Place)
Home Record: 8-0-0 Away Record: 6-3-3
SEASON HONORS
Northwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year: Andrew Stevermer (GK)
First Team All-Northwest Conference: Andrew Stevermer (GK), Mike Iacolucci (D), Jasem Jaihouni (M)
Second Team All-Northwest Conference: Avery Neal (M), Kizamu Tsutakawa (M), Patrick Murray (M)
Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference: Sean Mills (F)
Second Team All-NSCAA West Region: Andrew Stevermer (GK)
Third Team All-NSCAA West Region: Mike Iacolucci (D)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII First Team: Travis Birrell (F)
ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Second Team: Avery Neal (M), Mike Iacolucci (D)
NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week: Avery Neal (Sept. 7), Nick Rudella (Sept. 14), Sean Mills (Sept. 20) & Jasem Jaihouni (Nov. 9)
NWC Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week: Andrew Stevermer (Sept. 21, Sept. 28 & Oct. 19)
IN THE NCAA DIVISION III RANKINGS
Team Shutout Percentage: 0.55 (32nd of 377 ranked)
Team Save Percentage: .831 (54th of 377 ranked)
Team Goals Against Average: 0.66 (33rd of 377 ranked)
Team Win-Loss-Tie Percentage: .775 (25th of 377 ranked)
Individual Goals Against Average: Andrew Stevermer, 0.683 (41st of 150 ranked)
Individual Save Percentage: Andrew Stevermer, 0.827 (71st of 150 ranked)
Individual Total Assists: Jasem Jaihouni, 10 (22nd of 300 ranked)
Individual Assists Per Game: Jasem Jaihouni, 0.5 per game (32nd of 300 ranked)
