Men's Soccer Garners Five All-League Honors

Nov. 16, 2005

San Bruno, CA- Five different Saint Mary's men's soccer players garnered West Coast Conference accolades as announced today by the conference office. The freshmen duo of Michael Clegg (Santa Clarita, CA) and Carlos Diaz (Napa, CA) were tabbed with first-team all-conference honors. Junior Matthew Fitzgerald (Castro Valley, CA) was named to the second-team and junior Alex Christlieb (Ashland, OR) and sophomore Brian Mason (Laguna Niguel, CA) garnered honorable mention accolades.

In addition to his first-team selection, Clegg became the second Gael in the last three years to be named the WCC Freshman of the Year. Fitzgerald took home the honor in 2003. Clegg jumped onto the national scene this season by tallying 23 points on 11 goals and one assist. His 23 points and 11 goals ranked him second in the league and his five game-winners and 0.65 goals per game placed him atop the conference.

Diaz put together a great freshman campaign as well. The newcomer led the conference in assists with 11 and his 15 points was second in the league. His 11 assists was also a single-season school record as he broke the old mark of nine set by Juan Guarda (1990), Adam Bliss (1990) and Jon Hinkin (1988).

"Michael and Carlos are definitely worthy of their first-team selections and both make a strong case for Freshmen All-American honors," head coach Steve Rammel said. "We are very happy with Michael's selection of Freshman of the Year but equally deserving was Carlos, you cant score goals without assists."

For the third time in his career Fitzgerald earned conference honors. The junior was named to the second-team after compiling 10 points on two goals and six assists. His six assists was the third best mark in the WCC.

Christlieb nabbed conference accolades for the first time in his career with an honorable mention selection. The junior was a force offensively from the backfield, recording 12 points on five goals and two assists.

"Fitzgerald is a player of the year candidate every season and it shows by his three all-conference selections," Rammel said. "Christlieb is arguably the best defender in the league and a Defender of the Year award is not out of the question."

Mason also earned honorable mention accolades after recording a league-leading 94 saves and 4.95 saves per game. His six shutouts rank him in a tie with Chris Beatty (1997) for the most shutouts in a single season. In addition to the single-season record, Mason moved into sole possession of the career record with 11 overall."Mason is one of the top goalkeepers on the West Coast and deserved more than an honorable mention selection," Rammel added.

The Gaels finished the season with a 9-9-1 overall record and a 6-6-0 conference mark. Saint Mary's 18 points was the fourth best total in the WCC. The nine wins by the Gaels ties the 1988-91 teams for the most victories in a single season.

"I am disappointed for the seniors who didn't garner recognition from the conference coaches," Rammel said. "For the five players who did, we expect even better things for next year."

First TeamLuis Aguilar, USF - SR - D - La Mirada, CASean Babcock, POR - SR - M - Corvallis, ORMehdi Ballouchy, SCU - JR - M - Casablanca, MoroccoMichael Clegg, SMC - FR - F - Santa Clarita, CACarlos Diaz, SMC - FR - M - Napa, CAHector Guzman, SCU - SR - F - San Jose, Costa RicaGeorge Josten, GON - SO - F - Idaho Falls, IDKevin Meissner, USD - JR - M - San Diego, CALuis Robles, POR - JR - GK - Sierra Vista, AZRob Valentino, USF - SO - D - Cave Creek, AZJunior Ybarra, LMU - JR - M - Santa Barbara, CA
Second TeamAaron Chandler, USF - JR - F - Riverside, CAMatt Fitzgerald, SMC - JR - M - Castro Valley, CAMiguel Guante, POR - SR - M - Ft. Huachuca, AZRyan Guy, USD - JR - M/F - Carlsbad, CAKelechi Igwe, SCU - SR - F - Belmont, CAPeter Lowry, SCU - SO - M - Fair Oaks, CAScott Martin, USD - SR - M/D - San Diego, CAArmando Melendez, LMU - SR - M - Los Angeles, CABen Sawyer, GON - JR - D - Spokane, WAGeremy Uhl, USF - JR - GK - Cypress, CATommy Von Bromsen, USD - SR - D - Gothenburg, Sweden

Honorable Mention Mike Bagheri, USF; Bobby Burling, LMU; Jimmy Burling, LMU; Stephen Carlson, LMU; Michael Caso, USD; Alex Christlieb, SMC; Drew Chrostek, POR; Jawaan Delaney, LMU; Keith DeVey, SCU; Trini Gomez, LMU; Jeff Griffin, POR; Vito Higgins, GON; Kevin Long, USF;Brian Mason, SMC; Brandon McDonald, USF; Matt Mejia, LMU; Jide Ogunbiyi, SCU; Sam Reeder, USD; Calle Rendahl, USD; Jeff Scott, SCU; Mark Stock, GON; Kevin Sweeney, SCU

Player of the Year: Mehdi Ballouchy, Santa ClaraFreshman of the Year:Michael Clegg, Saint Mary'sDefensive Player of the Year: Rob Valentino, San FranciscoCo-Coaches of the Year: Einar Thorarinsson, Gonzaga & Erik Visser, San Francisco

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Men's Soccer Garners Five All-League Honors

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Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at Santa Clara on Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer versus Denver on Oct 21, 2026 at 3:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer versus LMU on Oct 25, 2026 at 1:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at No. 22 San Diego on Nov 6, 2026 at 7:00 PM

Upcoming Event: Men's Soccer at WCC Tournament on Nov 11, 2026 at TBD

Results

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Cal on October 14, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 4

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus Pacific on October 10, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Seattle U on October 3, 2026 , Loss , 2, to, 4

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Portland on September 30, 2026 , Loss , 0, to, 5

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus San Francisco on September 26, 2026 , Tie , 1, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer versus UC Davis on September 19, 2026 , Tie , 2, to, 2

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at Omaha on September 13, 2026 , Win , 2, to, 1

Completed Event: Men's Soccer at No. 12 Creighton on September 10, 2026 , Tie , 3, to, 3

Men's Soccer Garners Five All-League Honors

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