By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University Bearcats, who won the 2022 Northwest Conference men's soccer championship, have been rewarded with four players receiving First Team All-Northwest Conference honors, including senior midfielder Pierce Gallaway (Carmel, CA/Carmel HS) as the NWC Offensive Player of the Year. Joining Gallaway on the First Team for Willamette were junior forwards Sean Kim (Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) and Jett Starr (Portland, OR/Cleveland HS), along with first-year defender Drew Alexander (San Mateo, CA/Junipero Serra HS). WU Head Coach Sam Adelman was chosen NWC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year.
In addition to four First Team selections, one Willamette player was named Second Team All-NWC and three players earned Honorable Mention All-NWC status. Junior midfielder Simon Kidder (Bend, OR/Summit HS) was voted to the Second Team. Senior midfielder and forward Ardem Baronian (Los Altos, CA/St. Francis HS), junior goalkeeper Pierluca Carnovale (Seattle, WA/Ballard HS), and first-year defender Jake Oetinger (Gilroy, CA/Christopher HS) received Honorable Mention.
The 2022 All-NWC Men's Soccer Team honored a total of 39 players, including 12 First Team selections. Twelve players were named to the Second Team and 15 players were chosen for Honorable Mention.
Gallaway and Adelman were two of the four special honorees on the All-NWC Men's Soccer Team. Cole Dobson, a junior from Pacific Lutheran University, was named NWC Defensive Player of the Year. Tyler Wisen, a midfielder at Whitworth University, was chosen NWC Freshman of the Year.
Willamette finished the regular season with a 13-2-3 overall record and won the NWC Championship with an 11-2-1 mark (34 points). WU claimed the NWC title by one point over Pacific Lutheran, which finished second at 11-3-0 (33 points). Willamette was ranked #25 in the final regular season NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Coaches Poll released by the United Soccer Coaches. The Bearcats received the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament and defeated the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the first round before falling to #2-ranked University of Chicago in the second round. WU's final record was 14-3-3.
The Bearcats scored 53 goals and achieved seven shutouts (five wins, two 0-0 ties) while allowing just 23 goals. Willamette has earned a 66-22-14 (.716) record over the past six seasons, including 54-15-9 (.750) in the Northwest Conference.
First Team All-Northwest Conference
Pierce Gallaway (Sr., M) was named First Team All-NWC and NWC Offensive Player of the Year for the first time. In 2021, he was chosen Second Team All-NWC and Third Team All-Region X. This year, he scored 12 goals and earned six assists for 30 total points to lead the Bearcats. He scored a hat-trick with three goals against the University of California, Santa Cruz, in a 4-2 win on Sept. 11. He earned two goals in a 3-1 victory at Pacific University on Oct. 23. He scored the third goal in WU's 3-1 win against the University of Wisconsin-Platteville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
After contributing two assists as a first-year player in 2019, Gallaway produced four goals and one assist during the 8-game, COVID-shortened season in the spring of 2021. In the fall of 2021, he added four goals and one assist. He played in all 64 games during his career with 63 starts. His career statistics include 20 goals, 10 assists, and 50 points. He took 130 shots with 59 shots on goal. He was 7 for 7 on penalty kicks in his career and earned five career game-winning goals.
Sean Kim (Jr., F) was chosen First Team All-NWC for the second consecutive year. This season, he produced five goals and four assists for 14 points. He took 42 total shots and had 18 shots on goal. Two of his goals were game-winners, including the go-ahead goal in the 79th minute in a 3-2 victory at Whitman College on Oct. 2. In the fall of 2021, he led the Willamette in scoring with six goals and three assists for 15 total points. He also led the team with 37 total shots and 19 shots on goal.
During his three years at Willamette, Kim has played in 41 games with 36 starts. He has scored 15 goals plus nine assists for 39 points. He has taken 94 shots and placed 45 of his attempts on target. He has supplied four game-winning goals.
Jett Starr (Jr., F) was named First Team All-NWC for the first time. He was second for the Bearcats in scoring this season as he contributed eight goals and two assists for 18 points. Starr earned 28 shots while playing in 19 games with 18 starts. He placed 15 of his shots on goal. He scored two goals including the game-winner in a 4-1 victory over Colorado College on Sept. 1. He provided the first goal in WU's 3-1 NCAA Tournament win against UW-Parkside on Nov. 12.
Career totals for Starr include 11 goals and two assists for 24 points. He has accumulated 51 shots with 24 shots on goal. He has earned three game-winning goals. Starr has played in 41 games, including 27 starts, during his career.
Drew Alexander (Fy., D) received First Team All-NWC recognition in his first college season this fall. He brought exceptional speed and talent to the Bearcats, and was able to contribute on both ends of the field. He was difficult to defend when Willamette attacked and used his skill to get past defenders and then find teammates with space to shoot. He tied for Willamette's team lead with six assists, and also scored one goal -- the second goal in the NCAA Tournament win over UW-Platteville.
Second Team All-Northwest Conference
Simon Kidder (Jr., M) was chosen for Second Team All-NWC honors for the first time. He was consistently strong in the midfield, helping Willamette secure the defensive end and then adding to the Bearcats on offense. He supplied WU with one goal and one assist, while taking a total of nine shots. He was credited with the game-winning goal in a 2-1 triumph over the University of Puget Sound at Sparks Field on Sept. 17.
In three years with the Bearcats, Kidder has played in 42 games and made 36 starts. He played in all 20 games this season with 16 starts. His career totals include three goals and one assist on 18 total shots and eight shots on goal. He is 1 for 1 on penalty kicks.
Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference
Ardem Baronian (Sr., M/F) was selected for Honorable Mention All-NWC after helping lead the team as a key offensive player this season. He found ways to get open and then created opportunities for himself and his teammates to shoot. He scored three goals and tied Gallaway and Kidder with six assists. He took many of WU's corner kicks. He finished the season with 38 shots and 17 shots on target, while playing in all 20 games with 19 starts.
He played in 52 games during his career and made 36 starts for the Bearcats. He scored eight career goals to go along with nine assists for 25 points. He took 77 total shots and registered 31 shots on goal. He provided two game-winning goals.
Pierluca Carnovale (Jr., GK) received Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition this year and was named Second Team All-NWC in 2021. This season, Carnovale earned six solo shutouts and one combined shutout, while ending the year with a 1.17 goals against average. He registered 49 saves on his way to a 13-3-3 goalkeeping record. He was credited with seven saves at Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 29. He started and played in 19 games.
During the fall 2021 season, he played in all 17 games with 14 starts. His efforts led to a 1.14 goals against average, as he provided 60 saves and finished 11-4-1 in goal. He made seven saves in a 3-0 win over Whitworth University on Oct. 31, 2021. Carnovale has seen 3,474 minutes of action while playing in 44 games with 36 starts. He has attained a 26-7-4 record (.757) and has accumulated 10 solo shutouts, seven combined shutouts, and 117 saves.
Jake Oetinger (Fy., D) completed his first season of college soccer by being chosen Honorable Mention All-NWC. He was a leader on defense and was strong both when marking an opponent or when stopping an attack. He also moved forward along with Alexander to provide support on offense. Oetinger was a target on offensive restarts. He scored two goals and added one assist. He took 10 shots and placed six of those shots on target. He scored the game-winning goal in the 80th minute during Willamette's 2-1 victory at Whitworth University on Oct. 1.
Northwest Conference Coach of the Year
Head Coach Sam Adelman was named NWC Coach of the Year for the first time in just his second season as a head coach. This year, he led the Bearcats to a 14-3-3 overall record, including the NWC Championship at 11-2-1 (34 points) and a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Willamette was ranked as high as #7 in NCAA Division III during the year and completed the regular season ranked #25.
The Bearcats defeated Wisconsin-Parkside, 3-1, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for Willamette's first-ever postseason win, before falling to #2 ranked University of Chicago in the second round, 4-1. Key wins by Willamette during the year were victories over Colorado College on Sept. 9, Pacific Lutheran on Sept. 18, Whitworth on Oct. 1 and Oct. 16, and Whitman on Oct. 2. The Bearcats clinched the NWC Championship with a 5-0 win at Linfield on Nov. 5. During two seasons as Willamette's head coach, he has achieved a 26-7-4 record (.757), including 21-5-2 (.786) in the NWC. Adelman played soccer at WU from 2012 through 2015. He was an assistant coach for the Bearcats for two years before being named head coach prior to the fall 2021 season.
