KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) released the 2014 All-West region team Wednesday, selecting six Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference athletes to First Team and five to Second Team.
Trinity led the pack with five players earning first team honors, while Colorado College had one first team honoree and three on second-team. Texas Lutheran University and the University of Dallas each grabbed one spot on second-team.
Trinity goalkeeper Matt Cardone made first team after helping the Tigers to their third consecutive SCAC championship and the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, allowing just 14 goals through 25 games (.628 GAA) and marking 79 saves for a save percentage of .849. Cardone's season-high 11 saves against SCAC opponent Colorado College helped the Tigers remain undefeated in conference. This is Cardone's third consecutive appearance on the all-region team after earning third-team honors last year and first-team during the 2012 season.
TU defenders Tom Carwile and Simon Uribe earned first-team honors after leading the Tigers' defense to 14 shutouts on the season. Carwile also assisted the offense by putting up six goals—two game-winners—and two assists for 14 total points, while Uribe had two game-winning goals and three assists for seven points. This is Carwile's second time to earn all-region honors after being selected to third team in his first year.
Midfielder Victor Araujo and forward Johnny Lawson rounded out Trinity's first-team selections. Both players were named to the all-region team last season, while Araujo was also named to the NSCAA All-American second team.
Araujo put up nine goals on the season, which ranked fifth among all SCAC players, while leading the conference with 10 assists. Four of Araujo's nine goals were game-winners, including a crucial score in the 90th minute of play to break a 1-1 tie against Hardin-Simmons in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Lawson, named the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year and the SCAC Tournament Offensive MVP, marked 18 goals on the season, leading the conference and ranking 13th in the nation, while also putting up eight assists for 44 total points. Lawson sparked an offensive comeback against Colorado College in the SCAC Championship match, putting in his fourth penalty kick of the season to tie the game at one apiece with less than ten minutes remaining before a Trinity put in the game winner in the 87th minute.
Andrew Worthington of Colorado College was the only member of this Tigers' team to make first-team, after helping the team to its best season since 2004, marking a record of 15-4-2 and ending the season with ranked No. 22 by D3Soccer.com. Worthington helped the Tigers' defense to 13 shutouts on the season, while knocking in one goal.
Colorado College had three players named to second-team, including defender Christian Wulff, midfielder Max Grossenbacher and forward Brandon Ogilvie. Dallas's Colton Allen and Texas Lutheran's Isaac Lopez also earned second-team honors.
