Complete 2009 All-CCAA Team
WALNUT CREEK – Cal State L.A.’s women’s soccer team made its mark on the California Collegiate Athletic Association all-conference team announced on Thursday.
Liz Franco,
Amanda Matthews,
Ann Marie Tangorra and Head Coach
Chris Chamides all earned top awards from the conference in voting done by the conference coaches. Cal State L.A. won the CCAA South Division for the first time in the program’s history and earned the No. 1 seed for this week’s conference championship tournament.
Franco, the conference’s leading scorer, was named the CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year, while Matthews was named the CCAA Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year. Tangorra shared Freshman of the Year honors with UC San Diego’s Jessica Wi, while Chamides was named the Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year for the first time.
Chamides also was named the CCAA Men’s Soccer Coach of the Year.
The Golden Eagles had six players earn All-CCAA honors. Franco,
Alex Conley and Matthews picked up first-team honors, while
Jessie Walworth earned second-team recognition. Tangorra and
Kastidi Robles earned All-CCAA honorable mention.
It’s been a record-setting year so far for the Golden Eagles, who are 15-2-2 overall and ranked ninth in the country and first in the West Region. Cal State L.A. has already set new program record for wins in a season and goals scored in a season (47). The current No. 9 national ranking is the first top-10 ranking in the program’s history.
Franco, a junior forward, leads the CCAA in scoring with nine goals, 16 assists and 34 points. She has set new program single-season marks already for assists and points. She is also the Cal State L.A. career assists leader (29) and is second in points (57).
Matthews, a senior midfielder, has had her best season yet with the Golden Eagles after returning from an injury that forced her to miss the entire 2008 season. She has solidified a Golden Eagle defense that has allowed only 13 goals in 19 games and posted 10 shutouts. She also has one goal and six assists this season.
Conley, a junior forward, is one of the top newcomers in the conference. She shares the team lead in goals scored with 10 and she is second on the team with 26 points.
Walworth, a junior goalie, is another newcomer who has made a big impact this season. She has started 17 of the Golden Eagles’ 19 matches and has a 13-2-2 record with a 0.69 goals against average. Her save percentage is .836.
Tangorra, a freshman forward from nearby Arcadia High School, also has 10 goals for the Golden Eagles, which is the most for a freshman in the conference. She also has a total of 25 points, which is third on the team.
Robles, a senior midfielder, has been a key four-year player for Cal State L.A. She has now appeared in 77 matches for the Golden Eagles. She has three goals this season, including dramatic game-winners against Sonoma State and UC San Diego. She scored with time running out in the second overtime of a 2-1 win at Sonoma State on Oct. 11 and she scored with 2:47 left in regulation to lift the Golden Eagles to a 1-0 win at UC San Diego last Friday. That win lifted the Golden Eagles into first place in the CCAA South Division.
Chamides is in his seventh season as the head coach for both the men’s and women’s programs. He led the women to their first-ever NCAA playoff berth in 2007 and into the West Region championship game. The Golden Eagles have earned the top seed for the CCAA Championship Tournament for the first time and currently sit atop the NCAA West Region rankings as well.
The Golden Eagles will face Chico State in a first-round CCAA Tournament game on Friday at 1:30 p.m. at Cal State Stanislaus.