PAC announces all-conference men’s soccer teams, annual award winners

PAC announces all-conference men’s soccer teams, annual award winners

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All-PAC First Team | All-PAC Second Team | All-PAC Honorable Mention | PAC Sportsmanship Team
All-Tournament Team

GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its All-PAC men's soccer teams and yearly award winners Thursday afternoon. Ballots for the all-conference teams and annual award winners were voted on by the PAC’s nine head coaches.

Westminster College senior midfielder Ahmed Cisse (Germantown, Md. | Clarksburg) was named the PAC Player of the Year, while Washington & Jefferson College junior midfielder Alvaro Viadas (Burgos, Spain) claimed the PAC Newcomer of the Year award. W&J 29th-year head coach Ian McDonald was voted the PAC Coach of the Year.

Cisse is Westminster's third PAC Player of the Year honoree (Garrett Horvath, 2008; Nick Iregui, 2018).

An All-PAC Second Team selection in 2018, Cisse leads the PAC this season in points (28) and assists (8) and is tied for the top spot in goals scored (10). He was also named to the league's All-Tournament Team. Cisse finished with a league-high 21 points on eight goals and five assists in the Titans' eight PAC matches this fall. Westminster, last year's PAC champion, entered the championship as the No. 3 seed, battling No. 2 Geneva College to a scoreless draw in the semifinals before falling in the ensuing penalty kick shootout. 

Viadas, visiting the United States as an exchange student from Spain, was a 2019 All-Tournament Team selection. He was one of three players in the league to total a PAC-leading 10 goals while his 24 points are tied for second among conference counterparts. Viadas scored a conference-high eight goals and tied for second with 17 points in W&J's eight league matches this season. He had a goal and an assist in No. 1 W&J's 4-2 victory over Geneva in the PAC Championship Tournament title match last Saturday night at Alexandre Stadium.

W&J currently ranks 23rd among NCAA Division III programs in goals scored (53) and 32nd in total points (142).

McDonald led the Presidents to a 7-0-1 PAC record and the program's first No. 1 seed in the league's championship tournament since 2010. W&J won its fourth conference title (2003-04, 2007, 2019), and first since 2007, last week to secure PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the Division III Championship. W&J will be making its third appearance in the Division III Championship (2005, 2007, 2019). 

This is McDonald's fifth PAC Coach of the Year honor (1994, 2003-04, 2007). 

W&J (12-7-2), winners of six in a row, will travel to University Heights, Ohio Saturday to take on No. 7 John Carroll University (17-2-2) at 2 p.m. at Don Shula Stadium. John Carroll was granted automatic qualification after winning the Ohio Athletic Conference OAC) Championship Tournament title last Saturday. The Blue Streaks are currently riding a nine-match winning streak.

On Monday, Westminster was one of 16 teams to secure an invitation to compete in this year’s Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship. Westminster (10-7-3), the No. 4 seed in Pod 1, will take on the tournament’s top overall seed, Stevenson University (12-6-3), Saturday at 11 a.m. at Wilkes University. 

PAC Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Westminster senior midfielder Ahmed Cisse (Germantown, Md. | Clarksburg)
PAC Newcomer of the Year: W&J junior midfielder Alvaro Viadas (Burgos, Spain)
PAC Coach of the Year: W&J 29th-year head coach Ian McDonald
 
All-PAC First Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Christian Caporaso Grove City F Sr. Fairfield, Conn. | Christian Heritage
Nick Iregui Westminster F Jr. Gig Harbor, Wash. | Charles Wright Academy
Ren Matsushita Chatham F Jr. Kyoto, Japan | Kyoto Tachibana
Ahmed Cisse Westminster MF Sr. Germantown, Md. | Clarksburg
Peter Mattocks Westminster MF Sr. Saegertown, Md. | Saegertown
Dylan Mayanja W&J MF Fr. Camp Hill, Pa. | Camp Hill
Alvaro Viadas W&J MF Jr. Burgos, Spain
Nick Cimini Westminster D Sr. Mars, Pa. | Mars
Devaughn Johns Geneva D Sr. Mount Pleasant, Pa. | Midd-West
Trevor Leitzel Grove City D So. Richfield, Pa. | Midd-West
Ezra Cimino Westminster GK Sr. Brookline, Mass. | Waldorf
   
All-PAC Second Team
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Sam Belitz Grove City F Fr. Independence, Ohio | Independence
Bradley Novak Thiel F So. Wellington, Ohio | Keystone
Justin Buberl Waynesburg MF Sr. Westminster, Md. | Westminster
Noah Esbenshade Grove City MF Sr. Elizabethtown, Pa. | Mount Calvary Christian
Jake Fetterman W&J MF Jr. Pottstown, Pa. | The Hill School
Daniel Hott Waynesburg MF Jr. Cumberland, Md. | Fort Hill
Michael Komaniak W&J MF So. Oakmont, Pa. | Riverview
Junior Mensah W&J D Sr. Chantilly, Va. | Broad Run
Kevin Pasho Geneva D Jr. Smithville, Ohio | Central Christian
Ken Richard Chatham D Fr. Tokyo, Japan | Langley (Pa.)
Torben Grether Bethany GK Jr. Rheinfelden, Germany | Georg-Buchner
 
All-PAC Honorable Mention
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
Zach Bowser W&J MF Fr. Beaver, Pa. | Beaver
Tony Cirri Bethany MF Jr. Eldersburg, Md. | Liberty
Jake Hall Waynesburg MF So. State College, Pa. | State College
Andreas Hauge Jonassen Thiel MF Jr. Stavanger, Norway
Nate Kummer Waynesburg MF Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Hills
James Mincone Geneva MF Sr. East Northport, N.Y. | Northport
Ivan Mojica Westminster MF Fr. Santa Rosa, Calif. | Elsie Allen
Dylan Ralston Thiel MF So. Joppa, Md. | Perry Hall
Eduardo Richa Saint Vincent MF Fr. Juiz de Fora, Brazil | Saint Benedict's Prep. (N.J.)
Cole Sauer Geneva MF So. Middleburg, Pa. | Midd-West
Ryan Tahbaz Chatham MF Fr. Los Angeles, Calif. | Palos Verdes
Ramiro Veiga Bethany MF Fr. Buenos Aires, Argentina | San Roman
Ian Gelsinger Geneva D So. Greencastle, Pa. | Greencastle-Antrim
Sean Knipp Saint Vincent D Fr. Munhall, Pa. | Central Catholic
B. Julius McPhun Bethany D So. Raleigh, N.C. | Wakefield
Gary Olson W&J D Sr. Erie, Pa. | North East
Ian Donlon W&J GK Jr. Latham, N.Y. | Albany Academies
Luke Greenway Grove City GK So. Penn Hills, Pa. | Penn Hills
Gabe Kemp Geneva GK Fr. Normalville, Pa. | Connellsville
 
PAC Sportsmanship Team
The PAC Sportsmanship Teams were established to recognize student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through demonstrated acts of sportsmanship and ethical behavior and are an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among all PAC teams and student-athletes.
Name School Pos. Yr. Hometown | High School
James Abbott Bethany D Jr. Swindon, United Kingdom | Maranatha Christian
Emmet Taub Chatham MF Fr. Brunswick, Maine | Brunswick
James Mincone Geneva D Sr. East Northport, N.Y. | Northport
Christian Caporaso Grove City F Sr. Fairfield, Conn. | Christian Heritage
Frank Singer Saint Vincent F Jr. Saint Marys, Pa. | Elk County Catholic
Luke Lindeman Thiel D Sr. Lakewood, N.Y. | Southwestern Central
Jake Fetterman W&J MF Jr. Pottstown, Pa. | The Hill School
Caden Keplinger Waynesburg D Sr. Williamsport, Pa. | Williamsport
Nick Cimini Westminster D Sr. Mars, Pa. | Mars