Godoy Earns Top Offensive Honors, Six 'Eaters Named All-Big West

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine is well-represented on the 2017 All-Big West team with six players on the squad including the Big West Offensive Player of the Year.

Senior forward Giovanni Godoy took home that honor with conference bests in goals with 13 and points with 29. Godoy was also the shots leader in the conference with 63, and put home four of the team's eight game-winners on the campaign. Godoy is the first Anteaters to take home the award since Miguel Ibarra in 2011, and overall its the eighth time UCI has claimed the honor previously won by six different players including greats like Amani Walker and Brad Evans.

Godoy also earned his spot on the first team, his first accolade on any Big West team, and marks the fifth straight year an Anteater was named to the first team helped along by a pair of Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors during the season.

Godoy was joined by five other teammates on the squad marking the fourth time in the last five years with as many as six honored. Three 'Eaters scored second team nods including fellow senior Mario Ortiz.

Ortiz finished second on the squad in shots with 43 turning that into 17 points. He knocked home a career-high four goals and tied for the conference lead with nine assists leading to one player of the week honor.

Joining Ortiz on the second team were juniors Daniel Crisostomo and Jose Soto. Crisostomo matched Ortiz with nine assists to lead the team and conference, and was a vital cog in the midfield producing attacks and deafening opposing threats to the tune of a Big West Defensive Player of the Week honor during the year. Linking up with Crisostomo was defending Jose Soto on the backline. He did have one assist to his record on the offensive end, but showed his worth as a center back helping UCI to four shutouts on the year as he led all Anteaters in minutes played with an even 1,700.

Another junior was the only representative on the honorable mention squad in midfielder Ivan Canales who is being honored for the third time in his career, all three now as an honorable mention. With eight goals, three game-winners, and 20 points, Canales served as the runner-up on the team in each category and also in the conference in goals and points. He added four assists as an attacking midfielder earning the honor as a forward. He was also honored along with Ortiz during the season with spots on the all-tournament team in the Ashwill and Grange Invitational at New Mexico.

Rounding out the honorees was left back Erick Gallinar scored honors on the All-Freshman squad. The first-year product played in all 19 matches starting all but two. He was a constant menace on the defensive end comboing with Soto on the four clean sheets, and he booted four assists as well tying with Canales for the second-highest total on the squad. He keeps the string of All-Freshman candidates going after Jose Ortiz was named to the 2016 crew.

The group of 'Eaters helped raise UC Irvine back to the .500-mark as the squad finished 2017 with an 8-8-3 record.

Big West Offensive Player of the Year: Giovanni Godoy, Senior, Forward

Player	All-Big West Team	Position
Giovanni Godoy	First Team	Forward
Daniel Crisostomo	Second Team	Midfielder
Mario Ortiz	Second Team	Midfielder
Jose Soto	Second Team	Defender
Ivan Canales	Honorable Mention	Forward
Erick Gallinar	All-Freshman	Defender