EDMONTON – The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds made a clean sweep of annual Canada West men's soccer awards on Wednesday night, fittingly in Vancouver, where the T-Birds will host the conference Final Six tournament starting on Thursday. This marks the first time since 2000 that a single team has won every conference men's soccer honour.
Midfielder
Reynold Stewart was named
Most Valuable Player after leading the UBC Thunderbirds to a 12-1-0 record during the regular season and first overall in the conference.
The fifth-year Arts student played in all 13 games for Thunderbirds in 2013 finishing tied for fourth in the Canada West in goals (eight) and points (13). He was a key reason why the Thunderbirds were not only the prolific offence in the conference, averaging 3.62 goals per game, but also the best defence in the Canada West, giving up just eight goals in 13 games.
"We are thrilled for Reynold to be recognized as the MVP of the Canada West," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher. "This is a prestigious honour with so many quality student-athletes in the Canada West conference. He is a quality attacking player who is one of the best passers I have seen at UBC, but he also is a real threat to score goals as a result Reynold has become a top player as well as a real leader for our team."
A former member of the Vancouver Whitecaps Under-23 team, Stewart, who was a 2012 CIS Championship Tournament All-Star last season, hopes to finish off his collegiate career with another Canada West banner and CIS Championship title.
UBC's
Sean Einarsson was named
Rookie of the Year, as the midfielder/defender had an immediate impact in the Thunderbirds lineup, starting in all 11 games he played.
A native of Surrey, B.C., Einarsson was a big reason the Thunderbirds only surrendered eight goals in 13 games this season. He also chipped in offensively with three goals and five points.
"It has been great to see the development and progress of Sean over the past year," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher. "Last year he red-shirted after coming off a significant shoulder surgery, but over the past several months his progress on the field has been terrific. Sean is a very intelligent person and this translates onto the field where he can play in many positions. His emergence in a holding midfield role early in the season made it possible for us to put others into positions where they could shine and thus made the team collectively better."
A student in the Faculty of Applied Science, Einarsson and the Thunderbirds look to continue their stellar season when they host the Canada West Playoffs beginning Oct. 31.
Fourth-year defender
Paul Clerc of the UBC Thunderbirds is the winner of the
Student-Athlete Community Award. One of the premiere defenders in the Canada West, Clerc started all 13 games for UBC this season, helping the Thunderbirds to a 12-1-0 record.
The Coquitlam, B.C. native was a big reason the Thunderbirds only gave up eight goals in 13 games this season, tops in the Canada West. He also chipped in with six goals offensively.
A 2012 first team Canada West All-Star and a 2012 CIS Championship Tournament All-Star, Clerc was recently named one of the Top 8 Academic All-Canadians in the CIS. He is a three-time Academic All-Canadian in the Faculty of Kinesiology.
In the community, Clerc has been a lifeguard and swimming instructor at the UBC Aquatic Centre for the past three years. In 2013, he also held a volunteer position with the Healthy Heart Program at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, and was a personal trainer at the UBC Bodyworks Fitness Centre.
"Paul has been an absolute pleasure to coach and have as a part of our soccer program for the past four years," said UBC head coach
Mike Mosher. "Paul is an extremely focused individual who brings his best every time when it comes to practices or games. He also brings this same focus and determination to all that he does off the field as well, as evidenced by his performance in the classroom and the roles he plays in the community. He is a very intelligent young man who has a bright future in front of him."
For just the second time in his 18-year career, UBC head coach
Mike Mosher is the conference
Coach of the Year. He previously won the award in 2009.
This season Mosher led the Thunderbirds to a 12-1-0 season and first place in the Canada West, while holding down the CIS No. 1 ranking for the majority of the season.
"Year in and year out, Mike produces teams that challenge to win a national title," said
Theresa Hanson, UBC's Associate Director of Athletics. "We've been involved in university sport long enough to know that it's very rare that a coach gets to celebrate a coach of the year award, at the same time his athletes are recognized for player, rookie and student-athlete of the year - this is a well-deserved honour."
During his tenure at UBC, Mosher has led the Thunderbirds to four Canada West Championships and three CIS Championship titles. This year, Mosher looks for the Thunderbirds to become the first team to win back-to-back CIS titles since Victoria in 2003-04.
Mosher now has a career record of 136-43-42.
UBC was also awarded the
Fair Play Award. "This has been a very special group for the last couple of years, and they have been a pleasure and privilege to work with," said Thunderbirds head coach
Mike Mosher. "They are committed, hard-working, disciplined and intelligent in all that they do, and there is not a lot more we could ask of them. These young men epitomize what is great and inspiring about varsity sport, and are a testament to how sport can play such a vital role in developing young adults who will be leaders in their communities for years to come."
Following is a list of 2013 Canada West men's soccer Awards & All-Stars:
AWARDS
Most Valuable Player: Reynold Stewart, UBC
Rookie of the Year: Sean Einarsson, UBC
Student-Athlete Community Service: Paul Clerc, UBC
Coach of the Year: Mike Mosher, UBC
Fair Play Award: UBC
ALL-STARS (alphabetical by position)
First Team Second Team
Goalkeeper Elliot Mitrou, Victoria Jay Vetsch, Alberta
Defence
Paul Clerc, UBC
Bryan Fong, UBC
Sean Einarsson, UBC Brayden Gant, TWU
Jordian Farahani, Sask. James Gourlay, Calgary
Andrew Ravenhill, Victoria Brandon Holmes, Sask.
Niko Saler, Alberta Eddy Sidra, Alberta
Offence
Niall Cousens, UBC Jarvis Ambaka, TWU
Cam Hundal, Victoria Marcus Johnstone, Alberta
Brett Levis, Sask.
Harry Lakhan, UBC
Navid Mashinchi, UBC
Milad Mehrabi, UBC
Reynold Stewart, UBC Cam Stokes, Victoria
2013 All-Stars with previous selections…
Jarvis Ambaka: 2012 CW 2
nd
Paul Clerc: 2012 CIS Tournament All-Star, 2012 CW 1
st
Brayden Gant: 2012 CW 1
st & CIS 2
nd, 2011 CW 2
nd
Cam Hundal: 2012 CW 2
nd, 2011 CIS Tournament All-Star, 2011 CW Rookie of the Year, 2011 CW 2
nd
Marcus Johnstone: 2012 CW & CIS 1
st, 2010 CW & CIS Rookie of the Year, 2010 CW 1
st
Brett Levis: 2012 CW 1
st & CIS 2
nd, 2011 CW 2
nd
Navid Mashinchi: 2012 CW 1
st, 2011 CW 1
st
Elliot Mitrou: 2011 CW 1
st & CIS 2
nd
Andrew Ravenhill: 2012 CW 1
st, 2011 CIS Tournament All-Star
Niko Saler: CW & CIS 2012 Rookie of the Year, 2012 CW 1
st
Reynold Stewart: 2012 CIS Tournament All-Star
Jay Vetsch: 2012 CW & CIS 1
st
This weekend the
UBC Thunderbirds host the Canada West men's soccer Final Six, with quarter-finals on Thursday, semifinals Friday and medal matches on Sunday. Both winners on Friday will also qualify for the national tournament.
Award winners now become finalists for Canadian Interuniversity Sport national awards, to be handed out at the end of the season. The 2013 CIS men's soccer national championship will be hosted by the University of New Brunswick, November 7-10 in Fredericton.
About Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Canada West is consistently the most decorated of the four conferences in Canadian Interuniversity Sport, winning 100 CIS national over the last 10 seasons. Comprised of 17 schools from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada West produces numerous major award winners and Academic All-Canadian student-athletes each year, with many going on to athletic success around the globe in pro leagues or events such as the Olympics, Paralympics or Universiade Games.
canadawest.org / canadawest.tv / @cwuaa on Twitter
A proud member of Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).
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