Big West Awards

IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine snatched three major awards with the announcement this afternoon of All-Big West with eight 'Eaters honored in all.

The senior tandem of Ivan Canales and Daniel Crisostomo were named Big West Offensive Player of the Year and Big West Midfielder of the Year, respectively.

For Canales, he wins the award for the Anteaters for a second straight year following in Giovanni Godoy's footsteps. The Santa Ana-native becomes the eighth different Anteater among the nine times UCI has earned the honor with names such as Miguel Ibarra, Brad Evans, and P.J. Polowski. Canales joined the exclusive 20-20 club this season scoring 10 times, six of which have been game-winners to put him at third in the nation, and assisting five times for a conference-best 25 points.

For Crisostomo, he becomes the fourth Anteater to garner Midfielder of the Year status and first since 2013 joining the bunch of Enrique Cardenas, Matt Murphy, and Brad Evans to hold the title. Crisostomo scored his first three career goals adding three assists on top of the sterling defense he provides along the defensive midfield propelling the Anteaters to a national ranking and Big West regular season title.

Joining them in the major honors was their head coach, Yossi Raz. The veteran of the Big West takes home the honor in just his second season leading the Anteaters .He's the third different UCI head coach to earn the title, first since 2008, and the seventh coach of the year overall, fifth in the Big West Conference, alongside George Kuntz and Derek Lawther.

In addition to coach Raz, seven Anteaters were represented on the All-Big West squad starting with Canales and Crisostomo earning First Team nods. It's the first appearance on the First Team for each player, Canales completes all four years with an All-Big West honor becoming the first Anteater to accomplish that. Crisostomo receives his second honor after being called to the Second Team as a junior in 2017.

Three Anteaters gained Second Team status this season starting the backline senior duo of Jose Soto and Darren Hamilton. Hamilton came on late with three assists in Big West play on top of the multiple clean sheets he's been at the forefront of to earn his first All-Big West honor in his first season. Soto returns to the Second Team registering his second appearance in his second season after helping lead the clean sheets while adding his first career goal. The third Second Team Anteater is Jose Ortiz who finished third in the conference with eight goals and 20 points. It's his first appearance on the squad since receiving All-Freshman Team honors in 2016.

Rounding out the 'Eaters is sophomore Alvaro Quezada making his first appearance with Honorable Mention status after five goals and six assists. One Anteater made it on the Big West All-Freshman Team in defensive back Michael Orozco. He played in every match starting all but one adding a goal and assist. The 'Eaters have had a representative on five of the six squads that started in 2013.

The eight honorees mark the ninth squad with as many as eight All-Big West Anteaters and third such group in the last five seasons. The team's season continues on with the eight honorees on Saturday, November 3 with a Big West Semifinal awaiting their opponent for the 7:00 p.m. match in Anteater Stadium.

NOTES: This marks the fourth time UCI has taken home at least three major awards joining the 2008 and 2001 squads with three each...the 2006 program that also brought these three awards in addition to goalkeeper of the year