Four Willamette Men's Soccer Players are Chosen First Team All-NWC

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Four members of the Willamette University men's soccer team have been selected First Team All-Northwest Conference for the 2019 season in voting by the NWC head coaches. The Bearcats placed a total of eight student-athletes on the 2019 All-Northwest Conference Men's Soccer Team. Three Willamette players were named to the Second Team and one player received Honorable Mention.

Willamette's First Team All-NWC honoress were Nicholas Ballenger (Sr., F, Salem, OR/West Salem HS/Oregon State Univ.), Max Berner-Hays (Jr., D, Seattle, WA/Ballard HS), Ryan Sato (So., M, Sunnyvale, CA/Homestead HS) and Yushiro Shiomi (So., D, Kyoto, Japan/TIUA). Second Team selections for the Bearcats were Mason Kelliher (Sr., GK, Wellington, N.Z./Wellington College), Edwin Ortiz (Fy., M, Salem, OR/North Salem HS) and Mack van der Velde (Jr., D, Voorhout, Neth./Summit HS, Bend, OR). Carter McCleary (Jr., F, Port Hadlock, WA/Chimacum HS) was named Honorable Mention All-NWC.

The All-NWC Men's Soccer Team included 32 players from the eight NWC teams. Twelve players were chosen for the First Team, with 12 players on the Second Team. Eight players received Honorable Mention.

Freshman forward Zak Gregg from Pacific Lutheran University was named NWC Offensive Player of the Year and NWC Freshman of the Year. Jadon Bechtold, a senior defender from Whitman College was selected NWC Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach John Yorke from Pacific Lutheran was voted NWC Coach of the Year.

Willamette concluded the season with an 11-4-4 overall record for the second consecutive year. Three of the four losses were by a single goal. The Bearcats earned third place in the final NWC standings with an 8-4-2 record (26 points) and earned a 1-1 tie in two overtimes against eventual champion Pacific Lutheran University during a road game on Oct. 6. Willamette has earned a 32-15-10 (.649) record over the past three seasons.

First Team All-Northwest Conference

Nicholas Ballenger (Sr., F) was chosen First Team All-NWC for the second year in a row, after earning Second Team All-NWC honors in 2017. This fall, he tied for Willamette's goal scoring lead with six goals. He added two assists for 14 total points. He blasted 49 total shots, including 18 shots on goal. He scored a hat trick with three goals against Whitworth University on Sept. 22. He competed in 19 games with 15 starts.

In 2018, he was second in scoring for Willamette, as he contributed seven goals and three assists for 17 total points. He led the Bearcats with 57 total shots and 30 shots on goal. He joined the Bearcats in 2017 and quickly made a solid impact with three goals and four assists for 10 points. He registered 30 shots, while placing 14 shots on target.

As a Willamette player for three seasons, he has provided the Bearcats with 16 goals and nine assists for 41 total points. He has accumulated 136 shots, including 62 shots on goal. He played in 54 games with 42 starts. He is from here in Salem, where he played at nearby West Salem High School.

Max Berner-Hays (Jr., D) received First Team All-NWC honors for the third consecutive season. In addition, he was named NWC Defensive Player of the Year in 2018 and was selected NWC Freshman of the Year in 2017. This season, he helped lead a strong Willamette defense that allowed just 16 goals in 20 games and registered nine shutouts. Berner-Hays, one of the Bearcats' top targets on offensive restarts, finished the 2019 season with two goals and one assist. He recorded one game-winning goal. For the third regular season in a row he played in 18 games and started 18 games.

As a sophomore in 2018, he scored a team-high nine goals and contributed four assists for 22 total points. He tied for second in the NWC in goal scoring and total points, while recording three game-winning goals. The Bearcats shut out six opponents. In 2017, he led the Bearcats with six goals and one assist for 13 points. He helped WU tie for the NWC Championship, as the Bearcats received the NWC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. Overall, he played in 19 games and helped the Bearcats limit opponents to 19 goals, including just 11 goals in the final 17 games.

During three years with the Bearcats, Berner-Hays has played in 55 of 57 games -- all starts. He has scored 17 goals and six assists for 40 total points as a defender. He has produced 84 total shots with 39 shots on goal. He has produced eight game-winning goals.

Ryan Sato (So., M) matched Ballenger with a team-high six goals this year and tied Yushiro Shiomi with a team-high seven assists. Sato led all Willamette players with 19 total points, while playing in 19 games with 17 starts. He achieved 44 total shots and placed 21 shots on goal. He scored two game-winning goals. His skills as a player allowed him to create many offensive chances for the Bearcats, while his ability to shoot and pass with great accuracy led to him taking many of Willamette's offensive restarts.

As a first-year player in 2018, Sato saw action in 18 games with 17 starts. He earned three assists during the season and was valuable in the run of play and on free kicks.

In two seasons, Sato has scored seven goals and 11 assists for the Bearcats, giving him 25 total points in 37 games (25 starts). He has connected on 57 total shots, while placing 27 shots on goal. This season, he supplied WU with at least one goal or one assist in 10 games, including three games with a goal and an assist.

Yushiro Shiomi (So., D) joined the Bearcats this year and was exceptional at both ends of the field. He provided solid play on defense and was one of the top creative players on offense. He finished the season with four goals and was tied for the team lead with seven assists. He ranked second on the team with 15 total points. Shiomi had the speed and quickness to get past players when he moved forward on the attack, and was able to outrun the opposing forwards on defense.

While in the attacking third of the field, he created 38 shots with 15 shots on goal. He registered a goal and two assists in a 4-0 win over Howard Payne University on August 31, and was credited with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 victory against Whitman College on Sept. 21.

Second Team All-Northwest Conference

Mason Kelliher (Sr., GK) was named Second Team All-NWC for the second year in a row. He started 18 of 19 games this season and achieved 10-4-3 record to go with a 0.87 goals against average. He registered 43 saves and a .729 save percentage. He produced seven complete-game shutouts and one shared shutout. He saved a penalty kick against the University of Puget Sound in a 2-1 win on Oct. 20, giving him three penalty kick saves in his career.

During 2018, Kelliher was 10-3-2 in goal with a 0.81 GAA and a .833 save percentage. He was credited with 62 saves, including a career-high eight saves against Linfield on Oct. 6. In 2017, he played forward in 19 games with 17 starts. As a goalie and first-year player in 2016, he saw action in two games, both starts.

Kelliher owns exceptional career statistics as a goalkeeper with 36 games played, a 21-7-5 record (.712), a 0.83 goals against average, 108 saves and a .794 save percentage during 3,048 minutes in goal. He accumulated 12 solo shutouts and two shared shutouts. Including games as a field player, Kelliher saw action in a total of 58 games, including 50 starts.

Edwin Ortiz (Fy., M) played in 18 of 19 games with 16 starts on his way to claiming Second Team All-NWC honors as a first-year player. He showed quality attacking skills and excellent technical ability, as he helped the Bearcats control the midfield and transition into the offensive third of the field. Many of his efforts were in the midfield, but he also contributed nine total shots and two shots on goal.

Ortiz scored one goal and two assists for the Bearcats this season. He achieved a game-winning goal, as placed a shot in the net against George Fox University to give the Bearcats a 1-0 lead on their way to a 2-0 victory on Sept. 29. He previously played at nearby North Salem High School.

Mack van der Velde (Jr., D) provided strong play along the back line, in the midfield, and on the attack. His skills allowed him to succeed on all three parts of the field. In addition to helping the Bearcats shut out nine opponents and limiting six others to a single goal, van der Velde registered three goals and two assists for eight total points. He played in 18 games with 16 starts, and supplied 14 total shots and seven shots on goal.

As a sophomore in 2018, van der Velde scored one goal and one assist, while competing in 16 games with 11 starts. In 2017, he opened his Willamette career by earning three goals and one assist in 19 games played (17 starts). During his career, he has scored seven goals and four assists for 18 total points, while playing solid defense. He has participated in 53 games, including 44 starts.

Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference

Carter McCleary (Jr., M) created match-up problems for opponents this season due to his speed and quickness. He was able to move throughout the final third to help the Bearcat maintain possession on offense and create chances to score. McCleary concluded the season with three goals and two assists for eight total points. His skill and work rate led to him taking 33 shots for the Bearcats, including nine shots on goal. He competed in 18 games with 13 starts

McCleary played in 15 games with five starts in 2018, and saw action in eight games as a first-year player in 2017. During his first season, he scored a goal against Pacific Lutheran University. During his three season so far at Willamette, he has recorded four goals and two assists for 10 total points. He has played in 41 games in his career with 18 starts.