EDMONTON - After placing a player on the conference All-Star for the first time in the UBC Okanagan's soccer history the Heat men's soccer team doubled down this year two players on the All-Star teams this year. Named a Canada West All-Star was Hamish Walde a third year defender who placed himself on the first team while goalkeeper Mitch McCaw for the second straight was an all-star - for 2017 he found himself on the second team. Soccer this year has matched the other season-long sports and now have an All-Rookie team, OKM Secondary grad, Sam McDonald placed himself on the inaugural All-Rookie team after a great first season on the UBCO backline.
Walde played and started in every conference match for the Heat while leading the team in goals with four. Perhaps the moment of the season for the team came early on in the season, when the defender scored in stoppage time to beat the Victoria Vikes on home turf by a goal to nill. The defender formed a terrific back-line alongside McDonald, McCaw and Shaun Pilcher that helped the team find new-found success.
Goalie Mitch McCaw came into his final year with great expectations after a superb last season that resulted in him being named UBC Okanagan's Male Athlete of the Year. McCaw certaintly didn't dissapoint, as he set a Canada West record for most consecutive minutes without conceding a goal (685), while also leading the conference in save percentage (.877). During the middle part of the season when McCaw was unbeatable, he stopped 22 consecutive shots including a seven save performance on the road against the Calgary Dinos
The final member of the Heat to be named to an all-star team was first year defender Sam McDonald. McDonald helped lead a terrific defense for the team that only conceded 11 goals all season which was second only to the Alberta Golden Bears. For the season, the Kelowna native started 12 of 15 games including eight straight starts during the Heat's terrific middle part of the season. His first-career goal for the team came on Sep.9th against Trinity when he tied the game in the 63rd minute.
List of Canada West All-Stars for UBC Okanagan:
2017/18: First team: Hamish Walde (MSOC); Second team: Mitch McCaw (MSOC)
2016/17: First team: Mitch McCaw (MSOC); Second team: Kaitlynn Given (WVB)
2015/16: First team: Katie Wuttunee (WVB); Second team: Katy Klomps (WVB), Brianna Beamish (WVB)
2014/15: First team: Katy Klomps (WVB); Second team: Katie Wuttunee (WVB)
2013/14: Second team: Katy Klomps (WVB)
2012/13: Second team: Emily Oxland (WVB)
2011/12: Second team: Nate Speijer (MVB)
UBC Okanagan, has now earned 12 Canada West All-Star awards overall since it joined the Canada West Universities Athletic Association in September of 2011. Soccer started competing in Canada West in the fall of 2014.
List of Canada West All-Rookies for UBC Okanagan:
2017/18: Sam McDonald (MSOC)
2016/17: Kyle Hinchey (MVB), Sara McCreary (WVB)
2015/16: Eli Risso (MVB), Devon Cote (MVB)
2014/15: Aldrich Berrios (MBB)
2013/14: Lars Bornemann (MVB), Michelle Jackszuk (WVB)
Canada West Universities Athletic Association has been giving out All-Rookie teams since the 2013/14 season. Soccer started giving out All-Rookie teams in the fall of 2017.
TRU WolfPack forward Mitchell Popadynetz has been named the 2017 Canada West Men's Soccer Player of the Year after leading the 'Pack to the playoffs for the first time. The fourth-year becomes the first player in TRU program history to claim the conference's top individual award.
Popadynetz, along with UBC's Victory Shumbusho (Rookie of the Year), Alberta's Tolu Esan (Student-Athlete Community Service), and Trinity Western's Mike Shearon (Coach of the Year) were named as the conference's major award winners Thursday, ahead of this weekend's CW Final Four hosted by UBC in Vancouver.
Earning team accolades are the Victoria Vikes, who take home the Fair Play Award after being handed 11 yellow cards during the regular season.
In addition to the conference's major award winners, the Canada West all-star and all-rookie teams were unveiled, with the Alberta Golden Bears leading the way with seven combined players honoured.
Alberta, along with the host UBC Thunderbirds, Trinity Western Spartans, and Popadynetz's WolfPack take to the pitch Friday, Nov. 3 in CW Final Four semifinal action, before the conference season concludes Saturday with the CW bronze and gold medal games.
For a complete look at the CW Final Four, click here for the tournament preview.
Complete All-Star release from Canada West.
2017 CANADA WEST MEN'S SOCCER ALL-STARS & ALL-ROOKIES
First Team
POSITION / NAME / SCHOOL / YEAR / HOMETOWN / PROGRAM
GK / Connor James / Alberta / 4th / Edmonton, Alta. / Business
D / Noah Cunningham / Alberta / 2nd / St. Albert, Alta. / Education
D / Elie Gindo / Trinity Western / 5th / Langley, B.C. / Business Administration
D / Bruno Zebie / Alberta / 3rd / Paris, France / Phys. Ed. & Recreation
D / Hamish Walde / UBC Okanagan / 3rd / Salt Spring Island, B.C. / Applied Science
D / Jacob Powell / Saskatchewan / 3rd / Vancouver, B.C. / Business
O / Ajeej Sarkaria / Alberta / 2nd / Edmonton, Alta. / Business
O / Victory Shumbusho / UBC / 1st / Chilliwack, B.C. / Arts
O / Mitchell Popadynetz / Thompson Rivers / 4th / Nelson, B.C. / Business
O / Bori Falaye / Calgary / 2nd / Calgary, Alta. / Engineering
O / Isaac Koch / Victoria / 3rd / West Kelowna, B.C. / Social Sciences
Second Team
POSITION / NAME / SCHOOL / YEAR / HOMETOWN / PROGRAM
GK / Mitch McCaw / UBC Okanagan / 5th / Calgary, Alta. / Management
D / Connor Guilherme / UBC / 2nd / Thunder Bay, Ont. / Science
D / Jeff Blake / Mount Royal / 5th / Calgary, Alta. / Business Administration
D / Gordon Hall / UNBC / 4th / Chilliwack, B.C. / Forest Ecology & Management
D / Sam Gagne / Calgary / 1st / Airdrie, Alta. / Arts
D / Finlay McPhie / Thompson Rivers / 4th / Vernon, B.C. / Business
O / Ajay Khabra / Alberta / 5th / Edmonton, Alta. / Science
O / Leighton Johnson / Trinity Western / 4th / Strathmore, Alta. / Education
O / Tolu Esan / Alberta / 5th / Calgary, Alta. / Engineering
O / Ryan Glanville / Thompson Rivers / 5th / Williams Lake, B.C. / MBA
O / Tofa Fakunle / UNBC / 5th / Calgary, Alta. / Psychology
All-rookie
POSITION / NAME / SCHOOL / HOMETOWN / PROGRAM
GK / Sebastian Colyn / Trinity Western / Langley, B.C. / Business Administration
D / Sam Gagne / Calgary / Airdrie, Alta. / Arts
D / Sam McDonald / UBC Okanagan / Kelowna, B.C. / Management
D / Josh Banton / Thompson Rivers / London, England / Psychology
D / Jan Pirretas-Glasmacher / Thompson Rivers / Barcelona, Spain / Business
D / Joshua Munoz / Mount Royal / Winnipeg, Man. / Open Studies
O / Dominick Zuczek / Calgary / Calgary, Alta. / Engineering
O / Easton Ongaro / Alberta / Edmonton, Alta. / Arts
O / Victory Shumbusho / UBC / Chilliwack, B.C. / Arts
O / Kwame Opoku / Saskatchewan / Calgary, Alta. / Engineering
O / Patrick Izett / UBC / Delta, B.C. / Arts
CW MSOC ALL-STARS & ALL-ROOKIES BY TEAM:
Alberta Golden Bears – 7
Thompson Rivers WolfPack – 5
UBC Thunderbirds – 4
Calgary Dinos – 4
Trinity Western Spartans – 3
UBCO Heat – 3
Mount Royal Cougars – 2
UNBC Timberwolves – 2
Saskatchewan Huskies – 2
Victoria Vikes – 1
