HAMILTON, Ont. – Four Western Mustangs men's soccer players earned provincial recognition as Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced the 2009 men’s soccer West major award winners and all-stars.
Defender Mark Bennett (Brantford, Ont.) was named as a first-team all-star, while freshman midfielder Camilo Gonzalez (London, Ont.) and strikers Eric Amato(Toronto) and Mark Pocrnic (London, Ont.) were named to the second team. Amato, a rookie, and Pocrnic, a fourth-year senior, earn their first all-star nods. Pocrnic tallied a team-high four goals in the regular season, while Amato netted two.
The York Lions may be out of the championship race, but fourth-year midfielder Francesco Bruno (Toronto) receives most valuable player honours for the second-straight year. The three-time all-star tallied eight goals this season, tying him for first in OUA scoring.
The T. Litzen Sports West rookie of the year is Robbie Murphy (Ottawa) of the Guelph Gryphons. The first-year striker led the Gryphons in scoring with five goals in 12 games, making him one of the highest-scoring rookies of the 2009-10 season.
Murphy’s teammate Frankie Luzi (Guelph, Ont.) receives the community service award in recognition of his involvement within the school and his community.
Despite a disappointing overtime loss in the quarterfinals this past weekend, Windsor Lancers head coach Steve Hart is recognized as the West coach of the year. In his fourth year as head coach, Hart led the team to their best finish since 1993 with an 8-1-5 record this season. The Lancers were also ranked as high as No. 9 in the nation.
2009 OUA WEST MEN'S SOCCER MAJOR AWARD WINNERS AND ALL-STARS
Most Valuable Player - Francesco Bruno (York)
Rookie of the Year - Robbie Murphy (Guelph)
Community Service - Frankie Luzi (Guelph)
Coach of the Year - Steve Hart (Windsor)
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalkeeper - Alim Karim (Scarborough, Ont.) - York
Defender - Mark Bennett (Brantford, Ont.) - Western
Defender - Ben Ragan (Rockwood, Ont.) - Guelph
Defender - Franco Ruscetta (Woodbridge, Ont.) - York
Defender - Chris Walker (Mississauga, Ont.) - Laurier
Midfielder - Francesco Bruno (Toronto) - York
Midfielder - Alex Doma (Burlington, Ont.) - Laurier
Midfielder - Chris Lam (Guelph, Ont.) - Waterloo
Midfielder - Phil Rivers (Woodbridge, Ont.) - York
Striker - Robbie Murphy (Ottawa) - Guelph
Striker - Michael Watson (Belle River, Ont.) - Windsor
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Goalkeeper - Jarrett Humphreys (Waterloo, Ont.) - Laurier
Defender - Raphael Goldemann (Waterloo, Ont.) - Waterloo
Defender - Arlo Hemkes (Arnhem, Netherlands) - Windsor
Defender - Ignacio Lagos (Windsor, Ont.) - Guelph
Defender - Garret McConville (Ottawa) - McMaster
Midfielder - Mohammad Aborig (Tripoli, Libya) - Waterloo
Midfielder - Camilo Gonzalez (London, Ont.) - Western
Midfielder - Kyle Grootenboer (Brantford, Ont.) - McMaster
Midfielder - Steve Johnstone (Ottawa) - Guelph
Striker - Eric Amato (Toronto) - Western
Striker - Marc Pocrnic (London, Ont.) - Western
