LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- Two special award winners and 10 all-conference selections represented the Bruins among the Continental Athletic Conference's award winners when the CAC league office announced its Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams and Players of the Year yesterday.
Ximena Jauregui, a junior midfielder, built upon the successes of her 2022 season, leading the Bruins with 33 points and 11 assists while sharing top billing with 11 goals. She netted a trio of game-winners and scored or assisted in all but two games on the season, including six games in which she had a hand in multiple goals.
Tom White took home CAC Coach of the Year honors for the second-straight season after leading Bellevue to a 12-3-1 overall record this season and received votes in every Coaches' Poll of the season. The Bruins earned the top seed in the CAC Tournament for the second-straight season and reached the CAC Championship Match for the third-successive year.
Joining Jauregui on the first team were sophomore forward Emma Madej, senior midfielder Maddy Vasquez, freshman defender Maju Serrano, sophomore defender Emma Stock, and freshman goalkeeper Alessia Ricciardi.
Madej shared team-high goal honors with 11, three of which were game-winners, and added three assists to second on the team with 25 points. Vasquez served as a lynchpin in the midfield, playing defense- and possession-first role. Serrano made an instant impact as a wing-back, scoring a goal and adding seven assists for nine points in 12 games, missing four during a call up to the Ecuadorian National Team. Stock was key piece of the Bruin back line which conceded just 14 goals on the year (0.88 per game) and frustrated opponents as the defense yielded just 4.5 shots on target per game. Ricciardi started 15 of 16 games, posting a 0.88 goals against average, registering six shutouts and combining on a seventh, and stopped 52 of 65 shots for an .800 save percentage.
Freshman forward Katrina Avila, junior midfielder Ketlyn Rota, junior defender Claudia Gallegos, and junior defender Morgan McIlnay were the four additional Bruins to earn second team all-conference honors.
Avila started 15 of 16 games where she scored four goals, including bagging the game-winner at Dakota Wesleyan to open the season, and adding an assist. Rota played a similar role to Vasquez where her contributions were measured in controlling the flow of the game, providing defensive support, and linking play from the defenders to the attack. Gallegos and McIlnay joined Stock and Serrano to form a formidable defense that allowed just 0.88 goals and 4.5 shots on goal per game.
Ella Pelletier earned honorable mention recognition and also represented BU as the Bruins' Champion of Character. She scored four goals an added an assist for nine total points.
