KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches announced the 2022 NCAA Division II men's soccer teams, as Seattle Pacific's Lars Helleren added to his resumé with Third Team All-American selection.
 
"I am extremely excited for Lars," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "It's a huge honor and it's wonderful to see him recognized for his performances on the field this year. He is our leader in the back and plays an important role in how we defend and initiate our attack. He is a special goalkeeper, and I couldn't be more proud of the person he is and the career he's had at SPU."
 
Helleren adds to a long list of accomplishments during his time with the Falcons. He's been named First Team All-GNAC twice, earned Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2021, and has made the Conference All-Academic team three times.
 
Helleren started all 19 games, playing 1,656 minutes in goal. He faced 198 shots, made 45 saves, and owned a goals-against average of 1.14 per game. Helleren and the defense kept opponents off the scoreboards eight times in 2022. That tied for the most in the conference and ranked 10th in DII this season. A save percentage of .682 was fifth-best in the GNAC. 
 
Helleren made history in 2022, moving into fifth all-time in SPU history with 232 career saves. He finished his career with a goals against average of 1.45 over five seasons with SPU. In total, he faced 778 shots and allowed just 94 goals. 
 
Among the 35 men's soccer players receiving All-American recognition, University of West Florida junior forward Kainan Dos Santos and California State University-Los Angeles senior goalkeeper Alvaro Unanua are earning the second All-America honors of their careers.
 
This year's All-Americans will be recognized for their accomplishments at the United Soccer Coaches All-America Ceremony & Reception on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention.