By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University sophomore forward Sean Kim (Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) has been named First Team All-Northwest Conference for the 2021 men's soccer season in voting by the NWC head coaches. In addition, five Bearcats received Second Team All-NWC recognition.
The 2021 All-NWC Men's Soccer Team honored a total of 38 players, including 12 First Team selections. Twelve players were named to the Second Team, with 14 players earning Honorable Mention. Willamette student-athletes chosen for the Second Team were Pierluca Carnovale (So., GK, Seattle, WA/Ballard HS), Max Berner-Hays (Sr., D, Seattle, WA/Ballard HS), Mack van der Velde (Sr., D, Voorhout, Neth./Summit HS, Bend, OR), Pierce Gallaway (Jr., M, Carmel, CA/Carmel HS), and Ryan Sato (Sr., M, Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS).
Junior forward Cris Lozano of Pacific Lutheran University was selected NWC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year. Alex White, a junior from PLU, was named NWC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year. Beckett Arthur, a midfielder for Whitworth University, was chosen NWC Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year. Pacific Lutheran Head Coach John Yorke was voted NWC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.
Willamette earned a 12-4-1 record this season, including 10-3-1 (31 points, 2nd place) in the NWC. The Bearcats scored 33 goals in 17 games and registered six shutout wins. Willamette trailed NWC champion Pacific Lutheran (11-3-0, 33 points) by just two points in the final conference standings. The Bearcats have achieved a 52-19-11 (.701) record over the past five seasons, including 43-13-8 (.734) against NWC opponents.
First Team All-Northwest Conference
Sean Kim (So., F) was selected First Team All-NWC for the first time. This fall, he led the Bearcats in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 total points. He provided the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory over Whitman on Sept. 19. Later, he recorded the tying goal with 3:01 left in regulation in a 2-2 tie at the University of Puget Sound in two overtimes on Oct. 17. He scored four of his goals in Willamette's final eight games. Kim finished the season with a team-high 37 shots and also led WU with 19 shots on goal.
In two seasons with the Bearcats, including the shortened eight-game schedule in the spring of 2021, Kim has scored 10 goals to go along with five assists for 25 total points. He has earned two game-winning goals while contributing 52 total shots and 28 shots on target. He registered four goals and two assists during the teams' undefeated 8-0-0 season this past spring.
"Sean is that all-around attacking threat that is very hard to defend, even for multiple players on the other team," Willamette Head Men's Soccer Coach Sam Adelman said. "His intelligence tells him what spaces to attack, and how to attack them. His technical quality allows him to maneuver in tight spaces, and explode in big spaces. His dynamic athleticism allows him to start us in the attacking transition, but also finish off those attacks."
Second Team All-Northwest Conference
Max Berner-Hays (Sr., D) received All-NWC recognition for the fourth time. He was named First Team All-NWC for three consecutive seasons before being chosen for the Second Team this year. His list of awards also includes NWC Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year in 2017 and NWC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
During the fall of 2021, Berner-Hays led a talented WU defense that allowed just 18 goals in 17 games, earned six shutouts, and held six teams to one goal. In addition, Berner-Hays scored three goals and three assists for nine points. He played in 16 games -- all starts -- and created 22 shots with 15 shots on target.
In 2019, he helped WU shut out nine opponents, while giving up only 16 goals in 20 games. As a sophomore in 2018, he led the Bearcats with nine goals and four assists for 22 points, as he tied for second in the NWC in goal scoring and overall scoring. Berner-Hays earned six goals and one assist as a first-year player in 2017, while helping the Bearcats tie for the NWC Championship and qualify for the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The career offensive numbers for Berner-Hays are impressive. He scored 20 goals and added nine assists for 49 total points. He took 106 shots, including 54 shots on goal. He supplied WU with nine game-winning goals. He was great in the air on both offense and defense, and was a consistent threat to score goals and to break-up the other team's attack. He played in 71 games with 71 starts.
"Max is the undisputed most dominant player in the conference," Adleman noted. "When teams have to strategize for us, they've never had an answer for Max. He's developed his quality on the ball to new heights that allow him to be comfortable on the ball, to the point where teams can't win it off him. He reads the game well, so if teams try to take away his passing options, he still finds something open. Defensively, he is our pillar. His goal scoring threat has been incredible throughout his time here. When he wasn't scoring himself, he had the assists. Teams would double and triple mark him on set pieces, so finding other teammates was exactly what he needed to do."
Pierluca Carnovale (So., GK) attained Second Team All-NWC honors for the first time. He was in goal during all 17 of Willamette's games, including 14 starts, as he played 1,420 minutes. He registered a 1.14 goals against average, while recording 60 saves and accumulating an 11-4-1 record. He earned four solo shutouts and two combined shutouts. He made a career-high seven saves in a 3-0 win over Whitworth University on Oct. 31. He was credited with six saves in three other games and provided three or more saves a total of 11 times.
During the spring of 2021, Carnovale played in all eight games for a total of 360 minutes, with a 0.75 goals against average, while participating in four combined shutouts. He helped the team go undefeated. In two seasons with the Bearcats, he has achieved a 1.06 goals against average and a 12-4-1 record.
"Pier continues to improve and develop at a rapid rate," Adelman commented. "The fact that he was named Second Team this year and still has a high ceiling to improve says a lot about him and his character. His performances were excellent at times, and through the latter stages in the conference, he came up big for us. Pier means so much to us as a team, and I'm glad he got strong recognition for his craft. It speaks to the work he puts in every day to be better. That will continue to put him in the conversation for years to come."
Pierce Gallaway (Jr., M) received Second Team All-NWC honors for the first time. He scored four goals and one assist this season, including the first goal in Willamette's 4-0 win at Linfield University on Oct. 9. He started all 17 games and provided the Bearcats with 32 total shots and 17 shots on goal.
He put in four goals and one assist during the 2021 spring season, while supplying two game-winning goals. Through three seasons at WU, Gallaway has scored eight goals and four assists for 20 points. He has taken 68 shots and placed 30 of those shots on target. He is 2 for 2 on penalty kicking after successfully striking one penalty shot in each of the past two seasons. In addition to contributing on offense and creating scoring chances, Gallaway has been strong on defense and has been skilled at connecting the defense to the attack.
"Pierce is our engine ... he makes it all tick for us," Adelman said. "He can play anywhere in our midfield and take care of business. He is someone who can provide us tons of quality in the attack and in possession, as well as tons of intensity defensively. With everything he offers, his all-around ability makes him one of the strongest, if not the strongest, midfielder in the conference."
Ryan Sato (Sr., M) was chosen for Second Team All-NWC status for the first time this season. He is very good at retaining possession and has the ability to set up shots for others or to move past a defender for a shot of his own. During the season, he played in 13 games with 12 starts, but missed several games due to injury. Even so, he produced one goal and three assists. He scored the first goal in WU's 2-1 win against Southwestern University (Texas) on Sept. 3.
In 2019, he scored six goals and seven assists to lead Willamette with 19 total points. In the spring of 2021, he recorded 3 goals and 2 assists. His career totals in 57 games with a total of 40 starts include 11 goals, 16 assists, and 38 points. He has blasted 91 shots with 47 shots on goal. He has produced four game-winning goals.
"Ryan is pure class, and a pure pro," Adelman explained. "He's silent ... out on the field. You won't hear him much, as he lets his game do the talking. My favorite moment of Ryan this season was in Texas. He had just missed a penalty kick. The other team did their homework and knew where he was going, and made a good save. No less than five minutes later, Ryan scored an absolute world-class goal into the upper corner. Ryan was unstoppable at times."
Mack van der Velde (Sr., D) earned Second Team All-NWC recognition for the second time. He also received All-NWC honors in 2019. Throughout his career -- which began with Willamette's NWC co-championship and NCAA Tournament team in 2017 -- he has been a leader all over the field.
In the fall of 2021, he played in and started all 17 games. He contributed five goals and two assists for 12 points, as he trailed only Kim on the Willamette scoring chart. He also helped the Bearcats register six shutouts. He provided game-winning goals in 2-1 victories over Occidental College on Sept. 6 and Pacific University on Oct. 24.
As a junior in 2019, van der Velde was a key defender as the Bearcats shut out nine opponents and limited six more to one goal. He also scored 3 goals and 2 assists. In 2018, he earned one goal and one assist. As a first-year player in 2017, he recorded three goals and one assist. While playing in 70 games with 61 starts, van de Velde earned career statistics that include 12 goals, six assists, 30 points, 48 total shots, and 25 shots on goal. He has supplied six game-winning goals.
"Mack was our most consistent performer," Adelman said. "He has always been versatile enough to play multiple roles, and when tasked with playing in midfield at times, he locked down the opposition with intelligence and strong tackling. His statistics would have been even higher if I had kept him at outside back, where he played a massive role for us this year. He was always an attacking threat, getting up the line, and forcing other teams to defend deep in their half. His technical quality and intelligence allowed him to break down teams. His underlapping run, composure in the box, and finish against Warner Pacific to start the season set the tone for the rest of his year. His stats over four years are exceptional."
