Nov. 16, 2005
LOS ANGELES, Calif. - Eight Lions were honored when the West Coast Conference announced its yearly awards today. Junior Ybarra was named to the first team, and Armando Melendez picked up second team honors. Six other players- Bobby Burling, Jimmy Burling, Stephen Carlson, Jawaan Delaney, Trini Gomez and Matthew Mejia were named honorable mention. In addition, Delaney was named to the All-Freshman team. With eight players honored, LMU ties Santa Clara with the most players on the All-Conference teams.
Leading the way is Ybarra. The midfielder from Santa Barbara, Calif. controlled the LMU midfield, scoring two goals and adding four assists. His seven points in conference play ties for the team lead, as both of his goals and three assists were against WCC opponents. After three seasons, Ybarra has 15 career assists, good for 6th all time on the career charts. It is the second WCC honor of Ybarra's career after earning second team honors in 2003.
Melendez earns second team honors for the second straight year. The senior captain was third on the team in points with 13, finishing with four goals and five assists. Three of his goals this year came on penalty kicks, and two of those PKs were game-winning goals. He graduates LMU in 4th place on the career assist list with 16, and 5th on the points list at 40.
Bobby Burling earns honorable mention honors for the second time in three years. The junior forward was LMU's leading scorer for most of the year, and finished with 14 points. He had five goals and four assists on the year, with two game-winning goals. He was named the LMU/Enterprise Student-Athlete of the Month for September, and led the team in shots on goal. This season, Burling moved into the top 10 career lists for goals, assists and points.
After spending three years as a defender, Jimmy Burling moved into the Lion offense this season and made a big impact. His seven points in WCC games tied for the team lead, and he had a team-high three goals in conference play. The WCC honor is the first of his career.
Gomez was LMU's leading scorer in his first year with the Lions. The sophomore midfield transfer from UCLA, led the team in goals and points, scoring six goals and adding four assists for 16 points. One of his more spectacular goals this season came off of a free kick against Saint Mary's, when he bent the ball into the post and it bounced into the goal for the game winner.
Carlson and Mejia anchored LMU's defense. Sophomore Carlson shut opponents down in the center, while Mejia, a junior, moved from midfield to defense this season and played as a wide defender. The tandem helped the Lions record two shutouts in WCC play, including a 2-0 shutout in the final game of the season. Carlson recorded an assist against North Florida, and Mejia was named to the SMU Mi Cocina All-Tournament Team.
Rounding out LMU's selections was defensive midfielder Delaney. After redshirting last season, the Long Beach, CA native provided offensive firepower and a defensive presence in the midfield. All five of his points came in WCC games, and he scored goals San Diego and put in the game-winner against Santa Clara at home. In addition to earning honorable mention honors, Delaney was also named to the All-Freshman team.
LMU's eight players are the most in program history. The previous high was seven players in 1996, 2002 and 2003.
The Lions finished the season with an 8-8-4 record and were third in the WCC with a 6-5-1 conference mark.
- GO LIONS! -
