6 Cal Poly Men's Soccer Players Earn Big West Praise
10/31/2023 12:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Six Cal Poly men's soccer players received All-Big West awards, the conference office announced Tuesday.
Graduate student defender Emory Rapaport led the way, securing an All-Big West Second Team selection. Junior forward Jackson Kestler and sophomore forward Luke Schaefer both garnered All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition, while defender Joaquin Torres and midfielders Rylan Firouznam and Diego Guerra were all selected to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
Rapaport, a grad transfer from Pacific, has proven to be an integral part of a Cal Poly backline that has produced four shutouts. The Portland, Ore. native has played every minute in all 16 matches this season, scoring his first goal as a Mustang on a penalty kick in a 5-0 victory over Big West regular season champion Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 22. He also earned a primary assist on Firouznam's goal against UC Riverside on Sept. 30.
Kestler leads Cal Poly in points this fall, tallying four goals — tied for the team lead — and dishing out six assists, tied for the third most among Big West players. The Acton, Calif. also leads the Mustangs in shots (38) and shots on goal (17) this season. Kestler registered his second career brace in a 4-0 win at Gonzaga on Sept. 20 (tallying two goals and an assist), and buried goals in victories over Air Force and UC San Diego.
With four goals and three assists this fall, Schaefer is second on the team in points. The Chandler, Ariz. also paces the Mustangs in game winners with two. His first career game winner occurred on Sept. 17 when he buried his first career goal in the 42nd minute of a 2-1 home victory over Air Force. His second game-winning goal this season came in a 3-1 home win over UC San Diego, where he also notched his first career brace.
Torres scored his first collegiate goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Cal State Bakersfield. The 29th-minute equalizer by the defender from Denver, Colo. allowed the Mustangs to secure a spot in the Big West Championship tournament. The performance also earned him the season's final Big West Freshman of the Week award. The redshirt freshman has started in 13 of the 16 matches he has appeared in this season, assisting on goals against CSUN and Cal State Fullerton.
In the midfield, Firouznam has made quite the impact as a freshman. With three goals and three assists this fall, the Yorba Linda, Calif. native ranks third on the team in points. He buried his first collegiate goal in the win at Gonzaga, and notched his first multi-point game and first career game-winner in the dominant 5-0 victory over the Titans.
Guerra has appeared in all 16 matches for Cal Poly this season, starting in 11 of them. One of 11 different goal scorers for the Mustangs, Guerra found the back of the net in victories over CSUN and Cal State Fullerton. He is fourth on the team in shots (15).
The fifth-seeded Mustangs open the Big West Championship with a first round match at fourth-seeded UC Davis on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The winner advances to the semifinals to visit regular season champion Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 7 p.m.
Graduate student defender Emory Rapaport led the way, securing an All-Big West Second Team selection. Junior forward Jackson Kestler and sophomore forward Luke Schaefer both garnered All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition, while defender Joaquin Torres and midfielders Rylan Firouznam and Diego Guerra were all selected to the Big West All-Freshman Team.
Rapaport, a grad transfer from Pacific, has proven to be an integral part of a Cal Poly backline that has produced four shutouts. The Portland, Ore. native has played every minute in all 16 matches this season, scoring his first goal as a Mustang on a penalty kick in a 5-0 victory over Big West regular season champion Cal State Fullerton on Oct. 22. He also earned a primary assist on Firouznam's goal against UC Riverside on Sept. 30.
Kestler leads Cal Poly in points this fall, tallying four goals — tied for the team lead — and dishing out six assists, tied for the third most among Big West players. The Acton, Calif. also leads the Mustangs in shots (38) and shots on goal (17) this season. Kestler registered his second career brace in a 4-0 win at Gonzaga on Sept. 20 (tallying two goals and an assist), and buried goals in victories over Air Force and UC San Diego.
With four goals and three assists this fall, Schaefer is second on the team in points. The Chandler, Ariz. also paces the Mustangs in game winners with two. His first career game winner occurred on Sept. 17 when he buried his first career goal in the 42nd minute of a 2-1 home victory over Air Force. His second game-winning goal this season came in a 3-1 home win over UC San Diego, where he also notched his first career brace.
Torres scored his first collegiate goal in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Cal State Bakersfield. The 29th-minute equalizer by the defender from Denver, Colo. allowed the Mustangs to secure a spot in the Big West Championship tournament. The performance also earned him the season's final Big West Freshman of the Week award. The redshirt freshman has started in 13 of the 16 matches he has appeared in this season, assisting on goals against CSUN and Cal State Fullerton.
In the midfield, Firouznam has made quite the impact as a freshman. With three goals and three assists this fall, the Yorba Linda, Calif. native ranks third on the team in points. He buried his first collegiate goal in the win at Gonzaga, and notched his first multi-point game and first career game-winner in the dominant 5-0 victory over the Titans.
Guerra has appeared in all 16 matches for Cal Poly this season, starting in 11 of them. One of 11 different goal scorers for the Mustangs, Guerra found the back of the net in victories over CSUN and Cal State Fullerton. He is fourth on the team in shots (15).
The fifth-seeded Mustangs open the Big West Championship with a first round match at fourth-seeded UC Davis on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The winner advances to the semifinals to visit regular season champion Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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