2021 All-CCAA Men's Soccer Team

POMONA -- Sophomore Paul Henschke has been named the Newcomer of the Year, highlighting the announcement of the 2021 All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Soccer Team, which included Henschke and six other Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer student-athletes.

Also earning All-CCAA First Team honors, Henschke was joined on the First Team by senior midfielder Eduardo Faria and freshman defender Cesar Ruvalcaba.  Selected as Honorable Mentions were senior goalkeeper Jordan Aldama, junior forward Jerry Ramirez, senior midfielder Kraig Bonanken and sophomore midfielder Christian Miramontes.

Henschke finished second in the league with 12 goals and 26 points. He registered a pair of multi-goal games, and his goal against Azusa Pacific back on Sept. 15 helped Cal Poly Pomona defeat the No. 5 team in the country.  Faria scored seven goals and had four assists for 18 points, the third-most on the team this season.  With 20 career goals, Faria is now tied for eighth all-time in CPP men's soccer history in career goals.  Ruvalcaba was instrumental in the Broncos' success, anchoring a defense that sported a 1.06 goals against average.

Aldama is fifth in the CCAA is goals against average (1.06) earning seven shutouts on the year, which is the fifth-most in a single season in CPP men's soccer history.  Ramirez was the second-leading scorer on the team this season, netting 10 goals, including his hat trick against Cal State East Bay back on Oct. 10.  Bonanken had a goal and an assist, while he and Miramontes contributed to CPP's strong defensive unit.

Cal State LA's Morten Bjoershol captured CCAA Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. The senior from Oslo, Norway, helped anchor one of the best defensive units in the CCAA and all of NCAA Division II. Cal State LA allowed just .476 goals per match to rank third in the country. Bjoershol also came up clutch multiple times for the Golden Eagles on the offensive end, scoring a team-leading five goals, including three game-winners. This marked the third consecutive All-CCAA selection for Bjoershol.
 
Gustavo Ferreri, from San Francisco State, received CCAA Offensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league in goals (14) and points (35). He also tied for fourth with seven assists. Ferreri posted five multi-goal performances, including a hat-trick against Cal State East Bay. He never went more than two matches without a goal. He posted a goal or an assist in 15 of 18 matches.
 
Alvaro Unanua earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors for Cal State LA. Unanua was the final line of defense for the Golden Eagles defense that allowed just eight goals in 16 matches. He paced the CCAA in save percentage (.875), goals against average (.476), and shutouts (10). He made a season-best six saves against nationally-ranked Azusa Pacific.
 
Carl Olsen was another fixture in the backline for Cal State LA this season, and he was named the CCAA Freshman of the Olsen. Olsen started 13 games for the Golden Eagles and played the fourth-most minutes. His efforts helped Cal State LA rank among the nation's elite defensive units.
 
Chris Chamides guided Cal State LA to its second consecutive CCAA regular season championship as the Golden Eagles went unbeaten in CCAA play for the second straight season. Cal State LA reached No. 6 in the national rankings, and they will carry a 13-match unbeaten streak into postseason play as the No. 1 seed in Super Region 4. This is the second CCAA Coach of the Year award for Chamides in as many seasons.

Cal Poly Pomona (12-4-3), which finished second in both the CCAA regular season standings and the CCAA Tournament, earned the No. 7 seed in the 2021 NCAA Division II Super Region 4 Tournament and will face No. 10 seed Biola in the First Round on Friday at 11:00 am Pacific Time.