Nine Chanticleers Claim 12 Big South Season Awards
11/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Coastal Carolina men's soccer team garnered a total of 12 All-Big South honors, including the league's attacking and defensive player of the year awards, it was announced by the conference office Tuesday, Nov. 11.
Ricky Garbanzo was named the Attacking Player of the Year and the Defensive Player of the Year went to Shawn McLaws. Joining Garbanzo and McLaws on the all-conference first team was defender Uchenna Uzo. Midfielder Ollivier Gueguen and defender Tommy Gudmundsson were named to the second team, while goalkeeper Devin Cook-Perales and forward Sergio Camargo garnered honorable mention honors. Louis Dargent and Gudmundsson earned all-freshman plaudits. Ridge Robinson was named to the Big South All-Academic Team.
This marks the fourth consecutive year that Chanticleers have swept the conference's attacking and defensive player of the year awards. Pedro Ribeiro was the Attacking Player of the Year last season, while Ashton Bennett earned the award in both 2011 and 2012. McLaws is a repeat selection as the Defensive Player of the Year. Cyprian Hedrick was tabbed the league's top defensive player in 2011 followed by Kjartan Sigurdsson in 2012.
Garbanzo, a senior from Rock Hill, S.C., was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List entering the 2014 campaign. He leads Coastal and currently ranks third in the Big South with seven goals this season. In addition, the forward ranks 62nd in Division I with 19 total points and 76th averaging 1.06 points per game. Garbanzo earned College Soccer News National Team of the Week and Big South Attacking Player of the Week honors on Sept. 2 after providing a pair of assists and scoring the game-winner to lead Coastal past then-No. 8 UConn. Garbanzo has dished out five assists on the season.
McLaws, a senior from Edmond, Okla., is the anchor along the backline for a Chanticleer defense that is ranked 50th in the country with a 0.86 goals against average. He is Coastal's most versatile defender as he has led the defense to seven shutouts during the 2014 campaign. Coastal Carolina currently limits its opposition to a mere 3.55 shots on goal per game thanks in large part to McLaws' marking ability to limit balls crossed into the box from the flanks.
Uzo also earns his third straight all-conference honor after turning in another exceptional season along the Coastal backline. With Uzo in the back, the Chants have allowed only 16 goals, including a sparse three in conference play. The Lagos, Nigeria, native has helped lead the Chants to a 0.86 goals against average and a .390 shutout percentage. Uzo, known around the country for his man-marking ability, also earned second team honors in both 2012 and 2013.
Gueguen played an instrumental role in the Chanticleer defensive midfield. After starting the season at center back, Gueguen moved into the midfield due to injuries. The Frenchman started in 13 of 14 matches played, ending the regular season two goals. He scored the game-tying goal in CCU's upset of then-No. 8 UConn in the season opener. He found the net for a second time in the Chants' 4-0 blanking of UNC Asheville.
Gudmundsson started in 11 of 15 matches played at center back. He helped Coastal to its 0.86 goals against average and seven shutouts, including six against league opponents. In addition to his defensive prowess, Gudmundsson proved to play a vital role in the Chanticleer set pieces, netting five goals. He scored twice against UNC Asheville and netted the eventual game-winner against Liberty. In addition, Gudmundsson scored against both NC State and Longwood.
Cook-Perales, a junior goalkeeper, concluded the regular season with a 0.99 goals against average, ranking 72nd in the NCAA and third in the Big South. He registered 4.1 clean sheets to move him into sole possession of the CCU career shutouts record with 16.1. The Simi Valley, Calif., native recorded a season-high eight saves in wins over both Charlotte and NC State.
Camargo, a Colombian forward, is CCU's third-leading scorer with four goals. In addition, his 12 total points (4g/4a) also ranks third on the team and 11th in the Big South. Camargo earned Big South Attacking Player of the Week honors on Oct. 6 after recording two goals and an assist as Coastal defeated ACC foe NC State 3-1. The now two-time all-conference selection has two game-winning goals on the season.
Dargent has made an immediate impact in the Coastal attacking midfield in his first collegiate season. He has helped the Chants to the NCAA's seventh-best attack with 39 goals this season. A starter in 15 of 18 games played, Dargent registered goals against UConn, South Carolina, Elon and Longwood.
Robinson, a senior defender from Littleton, Colo., holds a 3.985 GPA as a recreation and sport management major. Robinson has started in 12 of 18 matches played, including the final eight of the regular season. In addition to his role in shutting down opposing attacks, Robinson is also very active in the CCU offense as he co-leads the Chants with five assists.
Coastal hosts Longwood in the quarterfinal of the Big South Conference Tournament today at 6 p.m. at the CCU Soccer Stadium.
2014 Big South All-Conference
First-Team All-Conference
F: Max Hasenstab, Soph., Winthrop
F: Mamadee Nyepon, Sr., High Point
F: Ricky Garbanzo, Sr., Coastal Carolina
MF: Magnus Thorsson, Jr., Winthrop
MF: Krzysztof Nalborski, Gr., Radford
MF: Pol Sole, Sr., Winthrop
MF: Ebe Kudolo, Fr., High Point
D: Shawn McLaws, Sr., Coastal Carolina
D: Jo Vetle Rimstad, Soph., Radford
D: Tim Harbison, Jr., Liberty
D: Uchenna Uzo, Sr., Coastal Carolina
GK: Aitor Pouseu Blanco, R-Fr, Radford
AL: Jordi Lluch, Jr., Winthrop
Second-Team All-Conference
F: Stephen Hudgens, Sr., Radford
F: Ali Al-Gashamy, Jr., Gardner-Webb
F: Bradley Farias, Fr., Campbell
MF: Dario Redondo, Sr., Radford
MF: Chel Ho Park Kim, Sr., Radford
MF: Ollivier Gueguen, Sr., Coastal Carolina
MF: Daniel Campos, R-Fr., Longwood
D: Austin Yearwood, Jr., High Point
D: Tommy Gudmundsson, Fr., Coastal Carolina
D: Paul Egle, Sr., UNC Asheville
D: Fraser Colmer, Fr., Radford
GK: Dan Jackson, Sr., UNC Asheville
AL: Scott Sutarik, Sr., Liberty
Honorable Mention All-Conference
Sachem Wilson, F, Jr., Liberty
Renato Punyed, MF, Soph., High Point
Devin Cook-Perales, GK, Jr., Coastal Carolina
Sergio Camargo, F, Soph., Coastal Carolina
Blessing Tahuona, MF, Jr., Liberty
All-Freshman Team
Victor Aguiar, MF, UNC Asheville
Daniel Campos, MF, Longwood
Jovanni Chavez, MF, Liberty
Fraser Colmer, D, Radford
Charles Coulson, F, Winthrop
Louis Dargent, MF, Coastal Carolina
Bradley Farias, F, Campbell
Tommy Gudmundsson, D, Coastal Carolina
Ebe Kudolo, MF, High Point
Aitor Pouseu Blanco, GK, Radford
Felix Steinhauser, MF, Radford
All-Academic Team
Matthew Oliver, MF, Sr., Campbell
Ridge Robinson, D, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Patrick Gurser, MF, Gr., Gardner-Webb
Austin Yearwood, D, Jr., High Point
Sachem Wilson, F, Jr., Liberty
Vaughn Fowler, D, Soph., Longwood
Ignacio Monchetti, MF, Sr., Presbyterian College
Stephen Hudgens, F/M, Sr. Radford
Quentin Reynolds, D, Sr., UNC Asheville
Jordi Lluch, D, Jr., Winthrop
Attacking Player of the Year
Ricky Garbanzo, F, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year
Shawn McLaws, D, Sr., Coastal Carolina
Freshman of the Year
Bradley Farias, F, Campbell
Coach of the Year
Marc Reeves, Radford
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Stephen Hudgens, F/M, Sr. Radford
