PORTLAND, Ore. - The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its men's soccer postseason awards on Tuesday afternoon, as the Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team featured eight selections, led by GNAC Newcomer of the Year and First Team All-Conference standout Raymundo Mendez.
Mendez was sensational in his first season with the Falcons. He led the team with 13 goals while adding two assists for 28 total points. The Columbia Basin transfer tied for the second most goals in the GNAC. He had the third most points in the conference as well.
Mendez had three separate stretches of scoring goals in three consecutive games. He closed the season strong, scoring five goals in the final three matches, including a hat trick at Western Oregon that earned him GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
"Ray's addition to the team this year has been massive," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "He's driven our offense and was consistently one of the most dangerous players in the league all season long."
Evan Aune joins Mendez as a First Team All-GNAC selection. Aune entered the 2023 season after earning GNAC Honorable Mention a season ago. He appeared in and started 13 matches for the Falcons and played 1,135 minutes. He was a part of a defense that had two shutouts on the season. Aune had an assist against Northwest Nazarene on Nov. 9.
Cameron Yriondo was a unanimous First Team All-GNAC selection. Yriondo started all 17 games he appeared in and played 1,403 minutes in 2023. He scored a goal on Oct. 14 against MSUB and dished out four assists this season. Yirondo adds to his resume that includes a 2022 GNAC Honorable Mention selection.
Orlando Erazo was another key piece to the SPU offense and was Second Team All-GNAC selection. He appeared in 18 matches, made 15 starts, and played 1,063 minutes for the Falcons. Erazo scored six goals and dished out five assists for 17 total points. He scored two goals in a 3-0 victory over MSU Billings on Oct. 7.
Joseph Van Horn, Connor Tollan, and Diego Pena-Salgado made GNAC Honorable Mention. Van Horn came on late, scoring two goals in the final two weeks. His total includes three goals, two assists, and eight points in 2023.
Tollan started all 17 matches he appeared in and played 1,065 minutes. He scored a goal and had two assists on the year. Pena-Salgado played 1,156 minutes, finishing the year with a goal and an assist.
"It's always an honor for our guys to be recognized by the other coaches in the conference," Sakuda said. "Each of them played an important role for us this year so we are excited for them to be selected as one of the top players in the conference."
