SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The University of San Francisco men's soccer team's head coach Eddie Soto and senior midfielder Leon Schwarzer were awarded West Coast Conference Coach of the Year and WCC Player of the Year, respectively, on Tuesday morning. In total, the Dons had eight student-athletes who were named to postseason All-WCC Conference teams, the most among WCC teams this year.
 
In his fourth year on the Hilltop, Soto has had one of the program's most successful years to date. His group ended regular season play on a six-game winning streak, and eight of their last nine, earning the WCC title. The last time the program saw a conference championship was 2008.
 
In his final year at USF, Schwarzer has been a jack-of- all-trades for the Dons contributing six goals and seven assists, including the game-winning goal against Portland in October.
 
Along with his player of the year award, Schwarzer earned All-WCC first team honors with fellow teammate, junior forward Sean Bowman. Bowman led the team in goals (9), points (20), and led the WCC in game winning goals (4). Four of his nine goals came in WCC play, which was tied for the league lead.
 
Senior midfielder Aaron Lombardi and junior midfielder Santiago Digiuseppe each earned a spot on the second team. For the fourth consecutive year, Lombardi has earned All-Conference team honors. He was the creative maestro in midfield, leading the team in assists (9), while adding three goals to his offensive tally. Digiuseppe added six goals and tallied three assists. Three of his goals came during conference play.
 
Senior forward Bryce Kaminski and fellow senior defender Manny Padilla each earned a spot on the honorable mention team.
 
Rounding out the postseason honors were freshmen goalkeeper Ruben Stuiver and defender Bar Twito, who both earned a spot on the All-Freshman team. Stuiver started in 15 of the team's 17 matches this season, making 55 saves.
 
The Dons concluded the season at 9-8-0 overall and 6-1-0 in WCC play, which earned them the 2017 WCC Championship. Next up the Dons will head across the bay to take on Cal in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Nov. 16 at 1:30 p.m.
 
If you're interested in attending the WCC Champions first round match against Cal, join fellow USF students on the victory ride as they travel on the BART to Edward's Stadium.