Mens Soccer Recognizes Individuals with Annual Awards
Rosemount, Minn. - The Mens Soccer program at Dakota County Technical College recently announced its annual team awards for the 2015-2016 year. Head Coach Cam Stoltz, (12th season) commented on the awards: "This was a special year, we have continued to be recognized nationally while our team transitioned with 23 first year students in the roster. Against a national level schedule, we started no fewer than eight freshman in every game. This was the fourth consecutive year being ranked in the Division I. We have a solid foundation going into next season". The Blue Knights finished 12-7-2 on the season and advanced out of the first round of the play offs before being eliminated in the NJCAA regional quarterfinals.
The 2015 Blue Knight Team Awards:
Golden Boot Award
This award is bestowed on the most prolific scorer on the team.
Winner: Samy Contreras #12
- Freshman
- 19 Games, 18 Starts, 10 Goals, 9 Assists for 29 Points
- Major: Exercise and Sport Science
- Position: Forward
- Club: MTA Minnesota Thunder Academy/ NPSL Twin Stars
- High School: Columbia Heights
- Hometown: Hopkins
A blazing speedster, with zip-lock skills on the ball, Contreras joined the team late in camp and played every game after missing the opening two game weekend. Samy racked up an amazing 10 goals and 9 assists for 29 points in those 19 games. Usually the most dangerous player on the field, Contreras served the "10" spot well on the field.
MIP - Most Improved Player Award
The featured player who made the most dramatic improvements in play from preseason to the playoffs, this award recognizes a very important achievement. Nominations for the MIP Award included: Hser Baw, Lewis O'Connor, Paco Martinez, Kevin Solano and Michael Zziwa.
Winner: Lewis O'Connor #25
- Freshman
- 19 Games, 12 Starts, 2 Goals, 2 Assists for 6 Points
- Major: Undecided
- Position: Fullback
- Club: Fusion / Plymouth
- High School: Wayzata
- Hometown: Medina
A physical presence on the field with an extremely high "Soccer IQ". O'Connor was placed in a center back role for most of the season but turned into a valuable part of the attack, first as a free kick and set piece specialist and later as a targeted substitute up front. O'Connor was valuable in each game with flexible functionality on the field.
Rookie of the Year Award
This award goes to the player on each team who stepped up and exceeded all expectations. Nominations for the Rookie of the Year Award included: Oscar Alverez, Jacob Arellano, Jordan Brown, Kapow Htoo, Paco Martinez, Kevin Solano and Michael Zziwa.
Winner: Francisco "Paco" Martinez #14
- Freshman
- 21 Games, 21 Starts, 1 Goals, 2 Assists for 4 Points
- Major: Exercise and Sport Science
- Position: Forward
- High School: Columbia Heights
- Hometown: Columbia Heights
Growing into a formidable and reliable starter, Martinez is set to make an even bigger impact next season. Martinez specialized in playing the tireless wingback in a 5-3-2 system. Paco primarily played on the right side quickly excelled to become a proven end to end player.
MVP – Most Valuable Player
This award recognizes the players that make the most valuable contribution to their team. Nominations for the MVP Award included: Oscar Alverez, Max Chase, Samy Contreras, Manny De La Ruz, Roman Devine, Kapow Htoo, and Michael Zziwa.
Winner: Oscar Alverez#31
- Freshman
- 21 Games, 20 Starts, 1 Goals, 2 Assists for 4 Points
- Major: Business
- Position: Fullback
- Club: MTA – Minnesota Thunder Academy
- High School: Prior Lake Savage
- Hometown: Lakeville
A solid player from the local area, Oscar started 20 games and played all but 60 minutes of the season at center back. Combined with decent goalkeeping and rookie grit in the back line, Oscar gave us a great chance to win in every game we played with experience and superb play.
Blue Knight Award
Considered the most prestigious award in DCTC Soccer, the Blue Knight Award recognizes extraordinary athleticism, leadership both on and off the field, and citizenship. Nominations for the Blue Knight Award included: Oscar Alverez, Konner Klausen, Fabian Arreola, Jhony Blanco, Kapow Htoo, Henry Puchuela, Omar Romero and Michael Zziwa.
Winner: Jhony Blanco #10
- Sophomore
- 21 Games, 21 Starts
- Team Captain
- Major: Individualized Studies
- Position: Midfielder
- Club: MTA – Minnesota Thunder Academy
- High School: Prior Lake Savage
- Hometown: Savage, Minn.
An excellent student, Blanco is a pure team player who gave 100 percent all the time on and off the field. Blanco enrolled at DCTC and immediately took on all tasks and is a strong role model for his teammates, exemplifying maturity, ethical play and leadership in the college and greater community. Blanco plans to transfer to a four year university to complete his degree and continue to play soccer.
Second Letter Awards
Also recognized for their second season were DCTC Sophomores who combined for a 26-12-2 record and national rankings as high as 9th in NJCAA Division I Soccer:
Fabian Arreola #26 – St. Paul
Jhony Blanco #10 – Savage
Celso "Manny" De La Ruz #8 – Minneapolis
Henry Puchuela #7 – Richfield
Beau Rueger #21 – Cannon Falls
Omar Romero #19 – Richfield
