OUA announces men’s soccer major award winners and All-Stars

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Ontario University Athletics (OUA) is pleased to announce the 2017 OUA Men’s Soccer major award winners and All-Stars.

Most Valuable Player (East) & Rookie of the Year (East) - Gabirel Bitar, Carleton

Rookie sensation Gabriel Bitar (Ottawa, Ont.) has been named Most Valuable Player (East) and Rookie of the Year (East) following a magnificent season powering an OUA-best Carleton offence. It is the first time in Ravens’ program history that a single player has earned both honours, and Bitar becomes the school’s first MVP since 2012 (Andrew Latty) and ROY since 2008 (Javier Robles).

The 5-foot-9 first-year striker dazzled with tremendous demonstrations of skill all season, stifling defender after defender en route to his U SPORTS best 16 goals on the season. With six game-winning goals to his name, Bitar was also named a First-Team All-Star to open his career as a Raven.

Bitar wasn’t the only Carleton standout; however, as a program record six Ravens have been named First-Team All-Stars, including Cristopher Malekos (Saint-Hyppolyte, Que.), Diego Politis (Ottawa, Ont.), Dario Conte (Ottawa, Ont.), Tristan St. Pierre (Ottawa, Ont.), and Stefan Karajovanovic (Gatineau, Que.).

Most Valuable Player (West) - Cristian Cavallini, York

On the West side, there is yet another winner who has earned hardware for both Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year, although his accomplishments come one year apart. One season after earning the OUA West’s top rookie award, York’s Cristian Cavallini (Woodbridge, Ont.) has been named the division’s Most Valuable Player.

Cavallini becomes York’s eighth MVP in the last 10 years, in a sophomore season that was a tremendous encore to his first-year efforts. After playing up as a striker last year, he moved into the midfield this season and was even more dangerous. He was the top scorer on the division’s best offensive team, leading the OUA West and ranking second overall in the conference with 15 goals in just 12 games played.

The second-year player scored three game-winning goals, including the lone tally in an upset win over the defending OUA champion Guelph Gryphons and another against the second-place McMaster Marauders. He also ranked eighth in the OUA in total shots and fifth in shots on goal for the first-place Lions.

The trio of Daniel Gogarty (Scarborough, Ont.), De Vante Walker (Brampton, Ont.), and Steve Kloutsouniotis (Markham, Ont.), meanwhile, join Cavallini as OUA First-Team All-Stars for 2017. Representing York on the Second-Team All-Stars are Jonathan Lao (Unionville, Ont.), who earns his fifth straight selection, as well as Dylan Carreiro (Brampton, Ont.).

Rookie of the Year (West) – Connor Wilson, Western

Following in the footsteps of Cavallini’s Rookie of the Year season, meanwhile, is a tremendous first-year player in his own right, as Western’s Connor Wilson (London, Ont.) earns the honours in 2017.

Wilson was a key player for the talented Western squad, who finished fourth in the West Division, as he tied for second on the team with a trio of goals. The first-year player, who becomes the first Mustang to win the award since 2008 (Pat Mroczek), was a prominent presence while patrolling the midfield, and was able to impact his club both on and off the scoreboard en route to his award-winning campaign.

Despite not earning an All-Star nod himself, a collection of Wilson’s Mustangs teammates were tabbed for the honour, as Kody Thomson (Calgary, AB) earns First-Team recognition, while Jon Hodge (London, Ont.), Mohammed Reza Nafar (Tehran, Iran), and Braeden Gee (Dorchester, Ont.) all crack the Second-Team All-Star roster.

Coach of the Year (East) - Kwesi Loney, Carleton

Helping to lead one of the province’s most talented squads is the Carleton Ravens’ Kwesi Loney, and in just his second year as head coach, Loney has been named Coach of the Year (East). Loney’s role with the team has been crucial, as he has helped in recruiting the strong young core that makes up the majority of the starting lineup.

The former All-Canadian and captain of the Ravens from 2000-2002 lead the 2017 Ravens to a tremendous regular season that saw Carleton ranked in the U SPORTS top-ten for six weeks straight throughout the campaign. His team set multiple 16-game regular season schedule program records, and it’s the first time Carleton has had six all-stars since 2008 – five of which were rookies.

Coach of the Year (West) - Lucio Ianiero, Brock

A fellow second year head coach has earned his place atop the division’s elite, meanwhile, as Brock’s Lucio Ianiero has been named Coach of the Year (West) for 2017.

Despite a lengthy resume in the sport, which includes playing – having spent time with the Hamilton Steelers in the original Canadian Soccer League, as well as stints in the American Professional Soccer League – and coaching – being named the Canadian Professional Soccer League Coach of the Year in 2000 – his stint with the Badgers has been brief.

It didn’t take him long to make an impact; however, as he led the Brock squad to their first playoff appearance since 2011 and secured a record of 6-8-2 for his Alma matter in the process.

Community Service Award (East) – Andrea Cicciarella, UOIT

It was a terrific season on the pitch for the Ridgebacks, as highlighted by their trio of Second-Team All-Stars - Davon Greaves (Ajax, Ont.), Erik Petrovic (Sombor, Serbia), and Fabio Campoli (Frosinone, Italy) – but one player who went beyond the playing field this season is the East Division’s Community Service Award Winner Andrea Cicciarella (Pickering, Ont.).

Cicciarella has been volunteer coaching for the last two years with a local club in Oshawa, is the liaison with Grandview Community Centre arranging for student-athletes to participate in events with youth, as well as providing service and support for youth with special needs.

The complete list of major award winners and All-Stars is as follows:

Most Valuable Player (East) - Gabirel Bitar, Carleton
Most Valuable Player (West) - Cristian Cavallini, York
Coach of the Year (East) - Kwesi Loney, Carleton
Coach of the Year (West) - Lucio Ianiero, Brock
Rookie of the Year (East) - Gabriel Bitar, Carleton
Rookie of the Year (West) – Connor Wilson, Western
Community Service Award (East) – Andrea Cicciarella, UOIT

First-Team All-Stars (East)

Connor Vande Weghe, Laurentian, Goalie
Devon Bowyer, Toronto, Defence
Cristopher Malekos, Carleton, Defence
Diego Politis, Carleton, Defence
Nikola Stakic, Toronto, Defence
Lukas MacNaughton, Toronto, Midfielder
Dario Conte, Carleton, Midfielder
Marko Mandekic, Toronto, Midfielder
Tristan St. Pierre, Carleton, Midfielder
Gabriel Bitar, Carleton, Striker
Stefan Karajovanovic, Carleton, Striker

Second-Team All-Stars (East)

Alex Jones, Queen’s, Goalie
Kenny Lioutas, Toronto, Defence
Davon Greaves, UOIT, Defence
Jamal Brown, Nipissing, Defence
Liam Ezzard, Laurentian, Defence
Erik Petrovic, UOIT, Midfielder
Evan Stronach, Laurentian, Midfielder
Aaron Chia, Trent, Midfielder
Nicholas Correa, Laurentian, Midfielder
Nirun Sivananthan, Toronto, Striker
Fabio Campoli, UOIT, Striker

First-Team All-Stars (West)

Kody Thomson, Western, Goalie
Daniel Gogarty, York, Defence
Tahrik Rodrigues, Laurier, Defence
De Vante Walker, York, Defence
Eric Bradey, Brock, Defence
Yunus Mollayev, McMaster, Midfielder
Youssef Zaghou, Guelph, Midfielder
Cristian Cavallini, York, Midfielder
Steve Kloutsouniotis, York, Midfielder
Jace Kotsopoulos, Guelph, Striker
Dusan Kovacevic, McMaster, Striker

Second-Team All-Stars (West)

Jesse DiDomenico, McMaster, Goalie
Zachary Rushe, Guelph, Defence
Tony Li, McMaster, Defence
Aaron Schneebeli, Western, Defence
Jon Hodge, Western, Defence
Sasha Ricciuti, McMaster, Midfielder
Jonathan Lao, York, Midfielder
Mohammed Reza Nafar, Western, Midfielder
Ian Vidovich, Guelph, Midfielder
Dylan Carreiro, York, Striker
Braeden Gee, Western, Striker