Nov. 19, 2003

Los Angeles, CA (Nov. 19) - Seven student-athletes from the Loyola Marymount University men's soccer team were 2003 All-West Coast Conference selections as senior Michael Erush and junior Matt Kovar each took home first-team honors. The nominations were announced by the WCC Wednesday afternoon.

The Lions, who finished the regular season with a 12-6-1 overall record and a 3-3 mark in conference, earned the 13-seed in the upcoming 2003 NCAA Men's Soccer College Cup that begins this weekend. The Lions earned a first-round bye and will host the second-round on Wednesday, Nov. 26 taking on the winner of Santa Clara or SMU.

Joining Erush and Kovar as all-conference selections are freshman Junior Ybarra (second-team), freshman Bobby Burling (honorable mention), senior Shaun Kalnasy (honorable mention), senior Kevin Novak (honorable mention) and junior Armando Melendez. The seven selections equals last year's mark for the most in one season for the Lions.

Erush and Kovar anchored an LMU defense that was one of the best, allowing just 21 goals (1.05 per game) on the season, ranking third in the WCC. While playing defense, Kovar and Erush had a huge role in the Lions' offense, ranking second and fourth on the team in points with 12 and 11, respectively. Kovar had two goals and eight assists while Erush had two goals and seven assists.

In his first season with the Lions, Ybarra was a finalist for freshman of the year honors and took home second-team accolades for his seven assists on the season. He played in 17 of the 19 games and played his best soccer down the stretch.

Four Lions finished with honorable mention honors, including Novak, who finished leading the Lions in goals with nine. Novak was having a Player of the Year type season, leading the conference in goals all year until suffering a season-ending knee injury against Saint Mary's. Despite missing the last five games of the season, Novak still ranks second in the WCC with 19 points, second with nine goals and first with 1.36 points per game.

In goal for the Lions for the majority of the season was Kalnasy. He appeared in 16 games this season, posting an impressive 0.81 goals against average and six shutouts. His GAA and shutout total ranked third in the WCC while his 74 saves was second in the WCC.

Also in his first season from Monument, Colo., was Burling. The freshman started every game for the Lions and was tied with Erush with 11 points on the season. He had three goals, including a game winner, to go with five assists. Melendez joined Burling with three goals on the season and finished with nine points as he joins Burling on the honorable mention list. For more information on the Lions' postseason appearance, go to LMULions.com.

WCC All-Conference
First Team
Scott Burcar, USD SR M Tacoma, WA
Ryan Cochrane, SCU JR D Portland, OR
Steve Cronin, SCU JR GK Fair Oaks, CA
Michael Erush, LMU SR D Van Nuys, CA
Matt Fitzgerald, SMC FR F Castro Valley, CA
Matt Kovar, LMU JR D Palos Verdes, CA
Alejandro Salazar, POR SO F Portland, OR
Chris Schwarze, USF JR D Camarillo, CA
David Vedder, SMC SO D San Jose, CA
Will Weatherly, SCU JR F Bellevue, WA
Kevin Wilson, USD JR M San Juan Cap., CA

Second Team
Kari Arnason, GON SO M/F Reykjavik, Iceland
Lance Friesz, USD FR GK Laguna Niguel, CA
Miguel Guante, POR SO D Fort Lewis, WA
Matt McCausland,USD SR F San Diego, CA
Heath Pearce, POR SO D Modesto, CA
Jon Povey, USF SR D Mission Viejo, CA
Sy Reeves, USD SR F Ellensburg, WA
Chris Sanders, POR FR F Federal Way, WA
Ben Stuart, USF SR M Tucson, AZ
Erik Ustruck, SCU FR M Manchester, MO
Junior Ybarra, LMU FR M Santa Barbara, CA

HONORABLE MENTION
Bobby Burling, LMU; Erik Cronkrite , POR; Kellen Hiroto, USD; Kelechi Igwe, SCU;
Shaun Kalnasy, LMU; Matt Languis, USF; Armando Melendez, LMU; Kevin Novak, LMU;
John Palladino, GON; Arni Pjetursson, GON; Paul Robinson, POR; Luis Robles, POR;
Diego Rovira, SMC; Josh Simpson, POR; Gabe Sturm, USF;Kellan Wilson, SMC;
Eric Wunderle, USD; Scott Yuska, GON; Adam Zielske, SMC.

Player of the Year:Alejandro Salazar, Portland
Freshman of the Year: Matt Fitzgerald, Saint Mary's
Defensive Player of the Year:Scott Burcar, San Diego
Coach of the Year:Cameron Rast, Santa Clara