OCC’s Vargas earns MVP honors to top All-Orange Empire Conference

OCC’s Vargas earns MVP honors to top All-Orange Empire Conference

Orange Coast College freshman forward Daniel Vargas earned Most Valuable Player honors to cap off the 2019 All-Orange Empire Conference Team, as voted on by the conference's head coaches at their postseason meeting.

Vargas, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound freshman out of Costa Mesa HS, was a dominant player up front for the Pirates, tallying eight goals and nine assists and helped guide the Pirates to a strong second-place showing in the always-tough Orange Empire Conference. Just how tough was the OEC this year? Six of this year's seven teams earned spots in this year's Southern California Regional playoffs.

For the second year in a row, Fullerton College head coach Greg Aviles was named Coach of the Year after leading his Hornets to back-to-back OEC conference titles, the fourth conference crown in team history (1981).

Joining Aviles is a quartet of Hornet players who earned first-team honors – Ryan Meinardus, Alejandro Castillo, Manny Tovar and Marco Polo. Meinardus was FC's top scorer with eight goals and seven assists and notched a pair of game-winning goals for the Hornets. Castillo was close behind with six goals and two assists, while Tovar and Polo helped anchor a Hornet defense that allowed just 11 goals in 12 OEC matches (22 goals overall in 21 matches).

Listed below is this year's All-Orange Empire Conference Men's Soccer Team.

Orange Empire Conference Men's Soccer 2019

 

Coach of the Year: Greg Aviles, Fullerton College

 

MVP: Daniel Vargas, Forward, Freshman, Orange Coast College

 

First Team All-Conference

 

Ryan Meinardus                      Midfielder                    Freshman                     Fullerton

Alejandro Castillo                   Forward                       Sophomore                  Fullerton

Manny Tovar                           Defender                     Freshman                     Fullerton

Marco Polo                              Defender                     Sophomore                  Fullerton

Anthony Tobon                       Defender                     Freshman                     Orange Coast

Max Copeland                         Defender                     Freshman                     Orange Coast

Jake Whitcomb                        Defender                     Freshman                     Orange Coast

Byron Gutierrez                       Midfielder                    Sophomore                  Golden West

Rigo Cuevas                            Midfielder                    Sophomore                  Golden West

Ricardo Briseno                      Forward                       Freshman                     Golden West

Marcelo Aguirre                      Midfielder                    Freshman                     Santa Ana

Felipe Sanchez                        Midfielder                    Sophomore                  Santa Ana

Benjamin Asabi                       Forward                       Sophomore                  Irvine Valley

Max Kleinhammes                  Forward                       Freshman                     Irvine Valley

Nomar Ibarra                           Midfielder                    Freshman                     Cypress

Lorenzo Laviolette                  Forward                       Sophomore                  Cypress

Guillermo Fernandez              Midfielder                    Freshman                     Santiago Cyn

 

                                                            Second Team All-Conference

 

            Kentrell Dorsey                      Forward                       Freshman                     Fullerton

            Mike Calderon                        Midfield                       Sophomore                  Fullerton

            Brian Martinez                        Defender                     Sophomore                  Fullerton

            Cayden Bonner                       Defender                     Sophomore                  Orange Coast

            Chase Bullock                         Midfielder                    Freshman                     Orange Coast

            Tyler Beteag                            Defender                     Freshman                     Orange Coast

            Jonathan Ruiz                         Midfielder                    Freshman                     Golden West

            Wilbert Suarez                        Forward                       Freshman                     Golden West

            Carlos Guerra                          Defender                     Sophomore                  Santa Ana

            Abel Bautista                           Midfielder                    Sophomore                  Santa Ana

            Nate King                                Goalkeeper                  Sophomore                  Irvine Valley

            Gibae Kim                               Midfielder                    Sophomore                  Irvine Valley

            Kiam Aminloo                        Defender                     Freshman                     Cypress

            Leonardo Mondragon             Goalkeeper                  Freshman                     Cypress

            Lucas Clarida                          Goalkeeper                  Freshman                     Santiago Cyn

            Kevin Mendoza                       Defender                     Freshman                     Santiago Cyn