Anderson And Co.
11/23/2013 3:17:00 AM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- California Baptist University's Alex Anderson capped off a stellar senior season with the highest accolade from the conference: PacWest Player of the Year. He led a total of seven Lancers to earn all-conference honors—the most of any school—as announced Friday.
Anderson, who previously earned honorable mention and second-team honors, exploded offensively for the Lancers to finish the season with nine goals, three game-winners, and seven assists for 25 points. His efforts gave Anderson his first appearance on the All-PacWest first-team list.
Joining Anderson on the first team were midfielders Marc Hope and Cole Schmit and defender Paul Oliver.
Hope finished the year with two goals and two assists, tying for third on the team in points with fellow first-team midfielder Schmit to take his third all-conference honor.
Schmit, who was named to the 2012 All-PacWest second team, tallied three goals for the Lancers, including two within a span of two minutes over Seattle Pacific to help CBU make its first-ever appearance to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Also picking up all-conference honors in the midfield was Chris Gaitan. The sophomore midfielder was named to the All-PacWest third team, his first time receiving the recognition.
Rounding out the first-team selections was junior defender Paul Oliver. As one of the Lancers' starting center backs, Oliver helped anchor a defense that posted six conference shutouts, tying for the top spot in the PacWest. CBU boasted a 0.90 goals against average against PacWest teams, conceding 11 goals.
Two other components to CBU's strong defense were found in Rob White and Joey Pacheco, each picking up second-team honors. White joined Oliver in the middle, helping goalkeeper Pacheco keep shots out of the back of the net. Pacheco finished the year with a 1.32 goals-against average and .729 save percentage.
CBU finished the year with a 10-6-1 overall record and 9-3 in conference to take third place. The Lancers were picked as the fifth seed in their first-ever NCAA Division II Tournament appearance, but fell in the first round to offensive powerhouse Simon Fraser.
