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Barclay Named WCC Defensive Player Of The Year
Nov. 19, 2008
SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Gonzaga University junior Nick Barclay has been named the West Coast Conference men's soccer Defensive Player of the Year and joins teammate Tye Perdido on the All-WCC first team as selected by the league's coaches and announced Wednesday. Barclay, from Boise, Idaho, becomes the first Bulldog to receive Defensive Player of the Year recognition since Gonzaga joined the men's soccer conference in 1993. In addition to Barclay and Perdido, other Bulldogs honored were second-team selection Ben Funkhouser, a junior midfielder from Spokane Valley; honorable mention selections Nick Heinrichs, a senior midfielder from Lake Oswego, Ore.; Tim Muravez, a junior defender from Corvallis, Ore., and Nick Love, a sophomore forward from Kaneohe, HI; and All-Freshman Team selection Mitch Boland from Villa Park., Calif. "I'm very happy for all of our guys," Gonzaga head coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "Obviously, Nick and Tye were the heart and soul of our defense and offense, respectively. But we had a solid, deep team and I think that is reflected in the honors we received." The Bulldogs (9-8-2; 6-5-1) were in the WCC race until the final weekend, winning four of five matches down the stretch to finish three points behind the University of San Francisco for the title. Conor Chinn of USF was honored as Player of the Year and Dons coach Erik Visser was tabbed Coach of the Year.
Barclay started all18 of his appearances this season and has started 39 of 51 career matches, including 38 matches over the past two seasons. His lone goal of the season proved to be the match winner against Loyola Marymount University in a 2-1 victory in the home finale. But it wasn't his offense that made him valuable. In their nine victories only twice did the Bulldogs allow more than one goal, and nine times the opposition was held to one goal or less. Barclay was excited when he heard the news. "I was definitely excited for myself, but it's always better to get team accolades. For our team to finish second in the WCC was a much bigger accolade," Barclay said. He didn't know where his career would take him when he arrived on campus, but he knew he had the desire to excel. "I had the ambition when I came to Gonzaga to be in the position I am now. You have to come in with expectations, but definitely with the coaching staff it's why I got this recognition. I think my leadership qualities come out a lot and I have the ability to get the best out of my entire team. Soccer is a team sport, so the people around me helped me where I got. I wouldn't be here without the other center backs." Perdido, a native of Kula, HI, was an honorable mention selection a year ago and paced the Bulldogs in goals (8) and points (19). He started all 19 matches and helped the Bulldogs win nine matches for a third straight season. His 15 career goals tie for eight on the all-time Gonzaga charts and his 37 career points tie for ninth. He was also on the 2006 WCC All-Freshman team. Funkhouser, a graduate of East Valley High, paced the Bulldogs in assists with six and also had three goals to finish second on the team in points with 12. Muravez teamed with Barclay to give the Bulldogs a strong defense and also scored three goals and added an assist. Love, who missed a pair of matches midway through the WCC schedule with a broken thumb, came back in a padded cast to score a goal in four straight matches to help spark Gonzaga's late-season surge. He finished with four goals and an assist. Boland started all 19 matches as a freshman and is one of the bright spots for the future of Bulldog soccer. He also showed he has some offensive abilities, scoring two goals, including a late-season match winner at Santa Clara University in a 2-1 victory. The WCC Freshman of the Year honor went to defender Roger Downes of Loyola Marymount University. Downes, an all-freshman team member, also emerged as an All-WCC second team selection for the Lions, garnering him three separate honors in his freshman career. 2008 All-West Coast Conference Men's Soccer Team ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
Rafael Baca, LMU
Nick Barclay, GON
Kelin Briones, USD
Conor Chinn, USF
Frankie Lopez, POR
Jide Ogunbiyi, SCU
Ryan Peterman, USD
Tye Perdido, GON
Jeff Russell, USF
Yousef Samy, SMC
Collen Warner, POR ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM
Eddie Ahman, USD
Janil Anibaba, SCU
Bryan Burke, USF
Roger Downes, LMU
Ben Funkhouser, GON
Corey Heldreth, SMC
Jonathan Levi, USF
Stephen McCarthy, SCU
Patrick Sampson, LMU
Brad Stisser, LMU
Leon Williams, USF ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM Mitch Boland, GON Kevin Cook, USD Roger Downes, LMU Omar Elmasri, USF Artur Jozkowicz, LMU Ryan Kawulok, POR Tyler Krumpe, LMU Tom Mohoric, SMC Stephen Posa, USD Emmanuel Sarabia, SMC Brandon Zimmerman, SCU |
