By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – A two-year career for the books culminated in Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors for Seattle Pacific’s Raymundo Mendez, who took home the league’s top honor when the men’s soccer all-conference teams were announced Tuesday.
 
A senior from Yakima, Wash., Mendez led the GNAC with 13 goals in 17 games this fall, matching his total from last year when he was named the GNAC Newcomer of the Year. The two-time unanimous first-team all-GNAC pick totaled 26 goals in his two seasons at SPU, ending up 21st in conference history despite playing just two seasons in the league. Mendez’s pace of 0.74 goals per game was fifth best in GNAC history.
 
The other four major awards belonged to GNAC champion Western Oregon, which earned its first-ever GNAC title and NCAA regional championship berth in just its third year of existence as a program. Senior goalkeeper Andre Schlaefli was voted the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, defender Caleb Kiner was picked as GNAC Newcomer of the Year and midfielder Marcus Vazquez got the GNAC Freshman of the Year nod. In his second season piloting the Wolves, Michael Behonick was voted by his peers as the GNAC Coach of the Year after also earning the award during the 2023 campaign.
 

2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference - Men's Soccer All-Conference Team
Special Award Winners
Player of the Year	Raymundo Mendez, Seattle Pacific
Defensive Player of the Year	Andre Schlaefli, Western Oregon
Freshman of the Year	Marcus Vazquez, Western Oregon
Newcomer of the Year	Caleb Kiner, Western Oregon
Coach of the Year	Michael Behonick, Western Oregon

 

First-Team All-Conference
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (Previous School)
*+ Raymundo Mendez	Seattle Pacific	F	5-9	Sr.	Yakima, Wash. (Davis)
* Eric Bunnell	Western Washington	F	6-0	Sr.	Renton, Wash. (Hazen)
*+ Jonathan Cardona	Northwest Nazarene	F	5-9	Sr.	San Diego, Calif. (High Tech)
So Nagano	Montana State Billings	F	6-1	Jr.	Kobe, Japan (Coastal Bend Coll.)
*+ Yahir Ocampo Navarro	Western Oregon	MF	5-5	So.	Aloha, Ore. (Aloha)
*& Connor Tollan	Seattle Pacific	MF	5-11	Jr.	Tacoma, Wash. (Silas)
* Kaydin Wall	Western Washington	MF	6-0	Sr.	Everett, Wash. (Kamiak)
Caleb Kiner	Western Oregon	D	5-11	Jr.	Dallas, Ore. (Gonzaga)
Raoul Barragan	Northwest Nazarene	D	5-11	Sr.	Nampa, Idaho (Vallivue)
& Ethan Fisher	Western Oregon	D	6-4	So.	Federal Way, Wash. (Auburn Riverside)
+ Sebastiano Silvetti	Western Washington	D	6-5	So.	Bergamo, Italy (Paolina Secco Suardo)
* Andre Schlaefli	Western Oregon	GK	5-11	Sr.	Houston, Texas (St. Mary's)

 

Second-Team All-Conference
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (Previous School)
$ Koji Poon	Simon Fraser	F	5-9	So.	Vancouver, B.C. (University Hill)
Caleb Putney	Northwest Nazarene	F	5-10	Fr.	Vancouver, Wash. (Union)
#& Andrew Rotter	Western Washington	F	5-9	Sr.	Auburn, Wash. (Saint Mary's)
+ Michael Hennessy	Simon Fraser	MF	5-10	So.	Vancouver, B.C. (University Hill)
Tristan Torresan	Simon Fraser	MF	5-10	Sr.	North Vancouver, B.C. (Trinity Western)
& Diego Pena Salgado	Seattle Pacific	MF	5-8	So.	Marysville, Wash. (marysville Pilchuck)
@$ Kolja Thomas	Montana State Billings	MF	6-0	Jr.	Butjadingen, Germany (Zinzendorfschulen)
Carter Gay	Seattle Pacific	D	5-11	Fr.	Everett, Wash. (Cascade)
Brandon Torresan	Simon Fraser	D	5-11	So.	North Vancouver, B.C. (Trinity Western)
Kobe Avila	Northwest Nazarene	D	6-0	Sr.	Yakima, Wash. (Columbia Basin Coll.)
Fred Reiter	Montana State Billings	GK	5-10	Fr.	Durango, Colo. (Durango)

 

Honorable Mention All-Conference
Player	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown
Florian Senf	Montana State Billings	F	5-7	Fr.	Rhoenblick, Germany (Clemens Winkler Gym.)
@ Bjarne Fedkenhauer	Montana State Billings	MF	5-5	Jr.	Ahrensburg, Germany (Julius-Leber-Schule)
George Jones	Montana State Billings	D	6-4	So.	Braunton, England (Exeter Coll.)
Johnny Ramirez	Northwest Nazarene	MF	5-10	Sr.	Yakima, Wash. (Columbia Basin Coll.)
Gerardo Fonte	Northwest Nazarene	GK	6-1	Fr.	San Luis Potosi, Mexico (Monterey Acad.)
& Angel Alvarado-Fajardo	Saint Martin's	F	5-8	Sr.	Yakima, Wash. (La Salle)
JJ Diaz	Seattle Pacific	F	5-10	So.	Hillsboro, Ore. (Westview)
Judah Johnston	Seattle Pacific	F	6-1	Sr.	Arvada, Colo. (Arvada West)
Mads Poulsson	Simon Fraser	MF	6-0	Sr.	Oslo, Norway (Coastal Carolina)
@ Justus Meier	Simon Fraser	D	6-0	Sr.	Hovelhof, Germany (Helene-Weber-Berufskolleg)
Marcus Vazquez	Western Oregon	MF	5-3	Fr.	Goleta, Calif. (Real Salt Lake Acad.)
Jacob Garcia	Western Oregon	MF	5-9	Sr.	Green Valley, Ariz. (Pima CC)
! Abraham Villalobos	Western Oregon	MF	5-5	Jr.	Salem, Ore. (North Salem)
& Harper Neubeck	Western Oregon	D	5-9	Jr.	Eugene, Ore. (Chico State)
+# Albin Jonsson	Western Washington	F	6-0	Jr.	Skelleftea, Sweden (Baldergymnasiet)
& Edgar Serrano	Western Washington	MF	5-9	So.	Mount Vernon, Wash. (Northern Illinois)
Joar Tidblom	Western Washington	D	6-2	Jr.	Norrkoping, Sweden (Hagagymnasiet)
*Unanimous Selection | + First Team (2023) | $ Second Team (2023) | & Honorable Mention (2023) # First Team (2022) | ! Second Team (2022) | @ Honorable Mention (2022)

 
The Wolves won the league with 27 points after going 9-3 and hold an overall record of 13-4-1. Their season continues on Thursday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first-round regional match against Point Loma in Pueblo, Colo. WOU’s lineup featured seven all-conference picks, three of which garnered first-team recognition. Sophomore midfielder Yahir Ocampo Navarro claimed first-team for the second straight season, after leading the team and ranking third in the GNAC with seven goals. The Aloha, Ore., native added five assists to give him 19 total points on the year, as he ranked third in the conference with 1.06 points per game.
 
Sophomore center back Ethan Fisher also took home first team for WOU, after starting all 18 matches and helping anchor a back line that conceded the second-fewest goals in the conference at 22. Fisher played the most minutes of any WOU field player (1,520) and contributed a goal and an assist on the offensive side. In his first and only season between the posts for WOU, Schlaefli emerged as the top shot stopper in the conference in 2024. He posted four shutouts on the campaign, while holding a 1.22 goals-against average and making 56 saves in 18 matches for an average of 3.11 saves per game. After a runner-up finish in his first season in charge in 2023, Behonick’s two-season tally now stands at 24-7-4 (.743) with a mark of 17-4-3 (.771) in conference matches.
 
GNAC runner-up Western Washington also had seven all-conference selections, including a trio of first-teamers. The Vikings (10-5-3, 8-3-1 GNAC) finished just behind the Wolves with 25 points in the final GNAC standings. Senior forward Eric Bunnell was the catalyst up top for the Vikings, matching Ocampo Navarro and leading his team with seven goals on the season. Bunnell chipped in three assists to give him 17 total points, and three of his finishes counted as game-winners. Midfielder Kaydin Wall also earned first-team recognition, after leading the team with seven assists and contributing four goals. Wall had a knack for the dramatic this fall with three of his four finishes counting as game-winning goals. He was one of three Vikings to start all 18 matches. Sophomore center back Sebastiano Silvetti was WWU’s other first-team pick, after making 16 starts and helping anchor a back line that allowed a GNAC-best 19 goals in 2024. Silvetti logged 1,287 minutes, played the full 90 on nine occasions and scored a goal in his second season with the Vikings.
 
Montana State Billings was represented on the first team by forward So Nagano, who had a breakout season in his first fall with the Yellowjackets. Gaining strength as the season progressed, nine of Nagano’s team-best 11 goals came during the conference portion of the schedule. The Kobe, Japan native ranked second in the league in scoring behind Mendez and added an assist for 23 total points in his 18 matches played. Two of Nagano’s finishes counted as game-winners, and his 38 shots ranked him fourth in the conference. In total the Yellowjackets (6-6-6, 5-4-3) had six all-conference picks, after tying for third place in the standings with 18 points.
 
Northwest Nazarene (6-8-4, 5-4-3) landed a pair of players on the first team and had six total all-GNAC selections. The Nighthawks also tied for third place with 18 points in the GNAC standings. Senior forward Jonathan Cardona picked up first-team recognition for the second year in a row, after leading the team with five goals and three assists for 13 total points. The San Diego, Calif., native had a goal and an assist in the final match of the season, a 4-2 triumph over the GNAC champion Wolves. Senior defender Raoul Barragan was NNU’s other first-team selection, after starting 15 of 18 matches on the back line and pushing forward to add three goals and an assist to his season stat line.
 
Including Mendez, Seattle Pacific (8-6-4, 5-4-3) had six total all-conference selections after tying for third place with 18 points in the GNAC standings. Junior midfielder Connor Tollan led the conference with eight assists this fall, while adding five goals to give him 18 points in 18 matches played. That earned him first-team all-conference honors, after he was an honorable mention selection in 2023.
 
Simon Fraser (6-10-2, 5-7) had six all-conference selections between second team and honorable mention, after finishing sixth in the standings with 15 points. Saint Martin’s (0-18, 0-12) landed one player on the honorable mention list.