PORTLAND, Ore. – The Division II Conference Commissioners Association announced its All-West Region team on Tuesday, featuring Seattle Pacific University men's soccer player Raymundo Mendez as a First Team selection.
"Ray had a fantastic season and is so deserving of this honor," head coach Kevin Sakuda said. "We know how important Ray is to our team. It is always nice when the members of our region recognize his quality."
Mendez finished a fantastic career with the Falcons by adding more accolades to his collection. His 2024 season includes a Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year award and a unanimous First Team selection. He's added a D2CCA First Team All-West Region to his long list of awards.
Mendez's 2024 was spectacular. He scored 13 goals for the Falcons to lead the GNAC. Mendez scored two game-winners for SPU. The first came at Simon Fraser on Oct. 17 in SPU's 2-1 victory over the Red Leafs. He did it again against Northwest Nazarene, a 1-0 win for the Falcons.
Mendez added three assists in 2024 on his way to 29 points for the Falcons. He led the GNAC in points with six more than the closest player. Mendez's average of 1.71 points per game ranks first in the GNAC and is tied for 13th in the country.
His 2023 season was noteworthy as well. Mendez was named 2023 GNAC Newcomer of the Year after a remarkable debut season. He scored 13 goals. The Columbia Basin transfer tied for the second most goals in the GNAC. Mendez added two assists and 28 points. He had the third most points in the conference as well.
Mendez had three separate stretches of scoring goals in three consecutive games in 2023. 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.
Mendez totaled 26 goals in his two seasons at SPU, ending up 21st in conference history despite playing just two seasons in the league. Mendez's pace of 0.74 goals per game was fifth-best in GNAC history.
The D2CCA all-region teams are selected by media relations professionals from the region's NCAA Division II institutions. Players selected to the all-region first team are eligible for the 2024 D2CCA All-America awards, which will be announced on Dec. 10 before the 2024 Final Four.
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