2018 All-CCC

For the second straight year, the Evergreen featured the Newcomer of the Year in Cascade Collegiate Conference men's soccer.

Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez, a senior forward from Pasco, Wash., by way of Walla Walla Community College and Upper Iowa University, was accorded the Newcomer of the Year honor in a vote of the conference coaches. Angel Trejo-Delgado, who missed the majority of the 2018 season due to injury, earned the award last year after leading the Geoducks with 10 goals.

Meraz-Rodriguez tallied eight goals and 12 assists in helping the Geoducks to a sixth-place finish in the CCC standings and a spot in conference tournament, which gets underway tomorrow afternoon in Springfield, Ore. Evergreen (8-4-4) faces Rocky Mountain College (14-4-0) in one of four men's quarterfinal matches at Les Schwab Sports Park.

In addition to earning Newcomer of the Year recognition, Meraz-Rodriguez was selected to the all-conference first team after leading the CCC in assists. 

The Geoducks were well represented on the all-conference list with two named to the second team and two more selected to the honorable mention roll.

Senior goalkeeper Ben Stevenson from Vancouver, Wash.,  and Marcos Borja, a senior defender from Tri-Cities, Wash., by way of Walla Walla CC, were second team selections. Stevenson, a second team selection as a sophomore in 2016, compiled a stingy 0.92 goals against average while saving 81.3 percent of the opponents' goal-bound shots in 2018. Borja, who started 15 matches in the center of the defense, was a key factor in helping the Evergreen defense give up just 15 goals in its 16 contests. He also scored a goal for the Geoducks this season.

Named to the honorable mention all-conference list were senior midfielder Christian Segovia, who has compiled one goal and one assist while starting all 16 matches, and junior wing Mitchell Balmer, who is second on the team with seven goals.

All five of those players will be featured as the Geoducks continue their season tomorrow against Rocky Mountain College.