WCC Release
 
LOS ANGELES – The No. 9 Loyola Marymount University Lions nearly swept all of the West Coast Conference Major Awards, headlined by Offensive Player of Year Noel Caliskan, Defender of the Year Gerardo Lopez, Goalkeeper of the Year Jacob Jackson, and Coach of the Year Paul Krumpe.
 
In addition to taking four of the five major conference honors, 10 Lions were named to either the All-WCC Men's Soccer First Team, Second Team, Honorable Mention, and Freshman Team.

All five individual awards, including the All-Conference Teams, were voted on solely by the WCC's eight head coaches.
 
Caliskan in addition to defender Nick Dauchot, Jackson, and Lopez were selected by the conference to the All-WCC First Team. Midfielders Narciso Cervantes and Bastien Oberli were named to the All-WCC Second Team. Midfielder Steven Anderson, forward Ronaldo Brown, defender Dylan Shockey, and forward Duhaney Williams were named All-WCC Honorable Mention while Anderson was also tabbed to the All-WCC Freshman Team.
 
Caliskan appeared and started in all eight games for the Lions and saw 760 minutes of action on the pitch while leading the team in goals with three. He helped the Lions claim their first WCC crown since the 2013 season in dramatic fashion, scoring goals in the 89th and 90th minutes against No. 23 Saint Mary's for a 3-1 win. The Cologne, Germany native averaged 1.12 points per match, good for second among conference leaders. Caliskan is the first Lion to be named Offensive Player of the Year and second LMU player to receive the conference's highest accolade since 2000 when Arturo Torres was recognized as the Player of the Year by the WCC.
 
Lopez, a MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List member, is the first Lion to be named Defender of the Year since Connor Johnson was tabbed by the conference in 2016. He appeared and started in all eight games for LMU, seeing 749 minutes on the pitch and led a defense that only allowed 72 shots, two goals, and posted six shutouts on the year.

Jackson's line was remarkable as he played all 760 minutes between the pipes, allowing just two goals for a 0.24 GAA while making 17 saves. Jackson rated second among NCAA Division I leaders in GAA, fourth in saves percentage (0.895) and fifth in shutouts with six in eight matches. Jackson is the second WCC goalkeeper in the last two completed seasons to post a WCC-only GAA of better than 0.25. Saint Mary's Remi Prieur allowed one goal in seven matches during the 2019 campaign for a 0.15 GAA – the best in the modern era. He is the first Lion to be named Goalkeeper of the Year since Paul Blanchette was honored by the conference in 2015.
 
Krumpe adds a third Coach of the Year honor to his resume after previously being recognized by the conference in 1999 and 2013. He led the Lions to an undefeated mark of 6-0-2 and sealed the conference crown in addition to his 200th career victory at LMU with a result against Saint Mary's. He will make his eighth NCAA Tournament appearance at the helm of the Lions program this season.
 
Follow along as LMU will open the 2020 NCAA Tournament at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina on Sunday, May 2nd at 10:00 a.m. PDT when they play Marquette University. The winner of that match will go and play on Thursday, May 6th.