YORK HEADLINES WEST MEN�S SOCCER ALL-STARS AND MAJOR AWARD WINNERS

HAMILTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the All-Stars and major award winners for the men’s soccer West division. The No. 1 York Lions clean up with nine awards and the Western Mustangs take home five.

The York Lions took a back seat to the Western Mustangs at the beginning of the season for No. 1 spot in OUA, but were the first team to defeat the Mustangs and remained on top the rest of the season due to some stellar work on the field.

The West most valuable player award goes to Adrian Pena (Woodbridge, Ont.) of the York Lions. This marks the third year in a row that a York Lion was name MVP for the West. This third-year striker led the league in goals scored, tallying 13 in regular season play. Pena was also named an OUA West First-Team All-Star for the second time in his career.

The T. Litizen OUA West rookie of the year award goes to York striker Alon Badat (Thornhill, Ont.). The first-year forward tied for third in league scoring with nine goals on the season. His impact on the Lions led them to a first place finish in the West as he became a regular starter. The rookie was named a Second-Team All-Star.

The York men’s soccer coach is awarded the Coach of the Year award this season. Carmine Isacco was named OUA and CIS coach of the year in 2007-08 when he lead the Lions to an OUA title in his first season with the team. The very next year Isacco and the Lions won nationals, having lost only one game all season. Isacco looks to add to his Lions hardware with another championship this season.

For a second year in a row, the community service award goes to a Guelph Gryphon. Andrew Firth (Palgrave, Ont.)) receives the award in recognition of his involvement within the school and his community. The fifth-year centerpiece to the Gryphons defence was a steady performer all year and throughout his five year stint at Guelph, he has continually volunteered daily for local schools.

Lions joining Pena on the First-Team All-Star list for 2010 include defencemen Jamaal Smith (Mississauga, Ont.) and Dominic Antonini (Winnipeg, Man.) and midfielder Ilya Orlov (Woodbridge, Ont.). Moreno Alberti (Winnipeg, Man.) was also named a First-Team All-Star and scored a total of seven goals in the regular season, good for sixth in Ontario.

The Western Mustangs, second in OUA, come out with five awards for the team. Defenceman Paul D’Amario (Vaughan, Ont.) was named a First-Team All-Star and fellow defenceman Andrew Walton (Vaughan, Ont.), a rookie, was named a Second-Team All-Star. D’Amario and Walton were keys to Western’s defence all season and backed up goalie Andrew Murdoch (Burlington, Ont.) on a regular basis. Murdoch was named a Second-Team All-Star and recorded 11 shutouts this year. Also on the list was midfielder Vince Caminiti (London, Ont.) and Niko Mavrikos (Victoria, B.C.). Mavrikos, a former OUA and CIS Athlete of the Week, was second in scoring in OUA with 10 goals.

The Guelph Gryphons boast three players named All-Stars this season. Former rookie of the year Robbie Murphy (Ottawa, Ont.) scored eight goals this season and tied for fifth in league scoring. The second-year striker was named a Second-Team All-Star this season. Guelph’s Ben Ragan (Guelph, Ont.), a former First-Team All-Star was named to the Second-Team this season on defence. Midfielder Dena Iezady (Richmond Hill, Ont.) was also named to the Second-Team All-Stars after scoring five goals this year.

The Golden Hawks also have three players named All-Stars. Laurier, known for their tough defence, walk away with two Second-Team All-Star defencemen. Chris Walker (Mississauga, Ont.), a third-year and Eamonn Hardy (Kitchener, Ont.), a veteran who finished up his eligibility this season, made it hard to score on the Hawks. Midfielder Donald Chmura (Waterloo, Ont.) was also named a Second-Team All-Star.

Defending champions, the McMaster Marauders had a tough go this year but managed to name Matt Grant (Brampton, Ont.) a First-Team All-Star goalkeeper. The third-year was solid this season for the Marauders as was midfielder Kyle Grootenboer (Brantford, Ont.) who was named a Second-Team All-Star for the second time in his career.

Windsor’s defenceman Arlo Hemkes (Arnhem, Netherlands) was named a First-Team All-Star for this play in the back field and Michael Watson (Belle River, Ont.) was named a Second-Team All-Star for his work up front, scoring seven goals this season.

Waterloo’s lone All-Star is Mohammad Aborig (Tripoli, Libya), named to the First-Team All-Star list after scoring five goals this season.

OUA WEST MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Player: Adrian Pena - York
T. Litizen Rookie of the Year: Alon Badat - York
Coach of the Year: Carmine Isacco– York
Community Service: Andrew Firth – Guelph 

FIRST-TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalkeeper: Matt Grant (Brampton, Ont.) – McMaster
Defender: Jamaal Smith (Mississauga, Ont.) – York
Defender: Paul D’Amario (Vaughan, Ont.) – Western
Defender: Dominic Antonini (Winnipeg, Man.)
Defender: Arlo Hemkes (Arnhem, Netherlands) – Windsor
Midfielder: Mohammed Aborig (Tripoli, Libya) – Waterloo
Midfielder: Iyla Orlov (Woodbridge, Ont.) – York
Midfielder: Vince Caminiti (London, Ont.) – Western
Midfielder: Moreno Alberti (Winnipeg, Man.) – York
Forward: Adrian Pena (Woodbridge, Ont.) – York
Forward: Niko Mavrikos (Victoria, B.C.) 

SECOND-TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalkeeper: Andrew Murdoch (Burlington, Ont.) – Western
Defender: Andrew Walton (Vaughan, Ont.) – Western
Defender: Chris Walker (Mississauga, Ont.) – Laurier
Defender: Eamonn Hardy (Kitchener, Ont.) – Laurier
Defender: Ben Ragan (Guelph, Ont.) – Guelph
Midfielder: Kyle Grootenboer (Brantford, Ont.) – McMaster
Midfielder: Donald Chmura (Waterloo, Ont.) – Laurier
Midfielder: Dena Iezady (Richmond Hill, Ont.) – Guelph
Midfielder: Michael Watson (Belle River, Ont.) – Windsor
Forward: Robbie Murphy (Ottawa, Ont.) – Guelph
Forward: Alon Badat (Thornhill, Ont.) – York