Men’s Soccer All-GVC Awards Include Goalkeeper of the Year
Sophomore Oliver Gregory is the 2024 Golden Valley Conference Goalkeeper of the Year, and four other Eagles earned All-GVC men’s soccer honors.
Sophomore Agustin Mateos and freshman Devonn Glasford, both listed as defenders on the roster, made 1st Team All-GVC, while sophomore midfielder Yahir Alanis and freshman midfielder Kaden Burch are 2nd Team All-GVC.
“They all deserved it,” said head coach Ed Kephart. “This was probably the best year for the men’s program.”
While the team’s won-loss record wasn’t as good as they thought possible at the start of the season, the Eagles placed fourth in conference at 4-6 and went 8-11 overall. That’s twice as many overall wins as the year before and two more wins than any Siskiyous men’s soccer team since the program began in 2016.
Kephart said Gregory, one of several Eagles from the United Kingdom, was a unanimous choice for the Goalkeeper of the Year award. He and Mateos, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, were both 1st Team All-GVC as freshmen. Now they will be representing the team for the CCCSCA Sophomore Showcase event Saturday, Dec. 7 at American River College in Sacramento. A goalkeeper session will be held from 9 to 10 a.m., and the GVC team will square off against the South Coast Conference team at 3 p.m.
Gregory led the conference with 86 saves and 5.73 saves per game, but his abilities and value go well beyond stats. “He’s the best goalkeeper I’ve seen in a long time,” said Kephart. “In two years he saved 9 out of 11 penalty kicks, which is unheard of. He’s a great shot stopper, and he can kick it 90 yards. He has several (four-year) offers already -- and he’s a goof ball, a fun guy to be around.”
While Mateos is listed as a defender on the roster, he did it all for the Eagles, leading the team with 9 goals and 19 points while ranking 9th and 13th among GVC players in those two categories. He also ranked 5th in conference with 3 game-winning goals.
“I can’t say enough about Agustin,” said Kephart. “He earned it. He’s a 4.0 student and the hardest worker of anybody. He does everything, scores, defends, gets assists. Always gives 90 minutes of non-stop work.”
Devonn Glasford, also from the United Kingdom, was one of three Eagles who played in all 19 games this fall. Kephart said Glasford was in and out of the starting lineup early in the season, but he soon became the team’s most consistent defender. “He bailed us out a lot and everyone in conference recognized that.”
Kephart praised Yahir Alanis, from Smith River, CA, for playing every position except goalkeeper and playing in 18 of the Eagles’ 19 games. He tied for second on the team with Burch and Kian Herdman for goals scored (4), and Kephart said “his attitude improved so much this year. He grew a lot as a person.”
Kaden Burch, from Astoria, OR, earned his 2nd Team spot despite missing time with a knee injury during the conference season. He still tied for second on the team with 4 goals, was second on the team in goals per game, assists per game, and points per game, and was third on the team with 11 points and 3 assists.
“He’s a good goal-scorer and everyone in conference saw the impact he had,” Kephart said. “We missed him a lot when he wasn’t able to play.”
By Steve Gerace