Nov. 21, 2002

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - CALIFORNIA goalkeeper Josh Saunders was named Pac-10 Player of the Year, OREGON STATE midfielder Joe Zaher was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year and California coach Kevin Grimes and Oregon State head coach Dana Taylor were named Co-Pac-10 Coaches of the Year, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR -- JOSH SAUNDERS, Sr. , GK, CALIFORNIA
Saunders, from Lake Forest, Calif., was tremendous in front of the net this season, helping the Golden Bears to a 13-5-2 (6-3-1 in Pac-10) marker and a second-straight NCAA Tournament bid. He leads the Pac-10 in shutouts (10) and is ranked 14th in NCAA and third in the Conference in goals against average (0.78 per game). Saunders is the first goalkeeper to be voted Pac-10 Player of the Year, in the league's third season sponsoring men's soccer.

PAC-10 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR -- JOE ZAHER, MF, OREGON STATE
Zaher, a midfielder from Las Vegas, Nev., helped the Beavers to a 13-7 record (4-6 Pac-10) and the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. OSU will travel to face Portland in the first round on Nov. 23. Zaher is tied for the Conference lead in game-winning goals (4). He also ranks second in the Pac-10 in goals scored (10), and is third in points (25), goals per game (0.53), shots (51) and shots per game (2.68).

CO-PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR -- KEVIN GRIMES, CALIFORNIA
Grimes, in his third year at the helm for the Bears, guided Cal to a 13-5-2 (6-3-1 in Pac-10) record, a second-place Pac-10 finish and second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The Bears have allowed the second-least amount of goals scored against them (15), and are tied for the Conference lead in shutouts (11). Grimes has amassed a 29-27-4 marker during his tenure in Berkeley. Prior to working at Cal, he spent three seasons as an assistant at Southern Methodist, where he helped guide the Mustangs to the three NCAA Tournament appearances.

CO-PAC-10 COACH OF THE YEAR -- DANA TAYLOR, OREGON STATE
Taylor, in his fourth year as head coach for the Beavers, led OSU to a 13-7 (4-6 Pac-10) record and the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. Taylor's squad currently leads the Pac-10 in five offensive categories, including shots (288), goals (47), points (133), assists (39), and goals per game average (2.35). Oregon State also leads the Conference in saves (99). Taylor has put together a 30-42-1 ledger at OSU, after spending four years as an assistant at Creighton, where he helped the Bluejays reach the NCAA Tournament four times, including one trip to the NCAA Final Four in 1996.

2002 PAC-10 ALL-CONFERENCE MEN'S SOCCER TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

Name, Pos., Yr., School
Alan Gordon, F, Jr., OSU
Taylor Graham, D, Sr., STAN
Adolfo Gregorio,* MF, Jr., UCLA
C.J. Klaas,* MF, So., WASH
Roger Levesque,** F, Sr., STAN
Kupono Low, MF, Sr., FS
Johanes Maliza,** MF, Sr., STAN
Mike Munoz,* MF, So., CAL
Tim Pierce* F, Sr., UCLA
Josh Saunders,* GK, Sr., CAL
Scot Thompson, D, Sr., UCLA

SECOND TEAM

Name, Pos., Yr., School
Makoto Anderson, F, Sr., FS
Calen Carr, F, So., CAL
Todd Dunivant,** D, Sr., STAN
Jimmy Frazelle, MF, Sr., UCLA
Tony Lawson, D, Jr., UCLA
Chad Marshall, D, Fr., STAN
Troy Roberts, D, So., CAL
Tyson Wahl, D, Fr., CAL
Brett Wiesner, F, So., WASH
Zach Wells,* GK, Jr., UCLA
Joe Zaher, MF, Fr., OSU

*two-time All-Pac-10 honoree
**three-time All-Pac-10 honoree

HONORABLE MENTION (received votes) Carl Acosta (So, F, CAL); Mike Enfield (So, MF, UCLA); Yohei Fukuda (So, D, CAL); Darren Fernandez (So, MF, STAN); Robby Fulton (So, GK, STAN); Ryan Futagaki (Sr, MF, UCLA); Leonard Griffin (Jr, D, UCLA); Jordan Harvey (Fr, D, UCLA); Aaron Heinzen (Sr, D, WASH); Ryan Johnson (Fr, F, OSU); Matt Johnson (Fr, F, OSU); Aaron Lopez (So, D, UCLA); Derek Lopez (Sr, D, FS); Seth Marsh (Jr, MF, WASH); Ty Maurin (Jr, MF, UCLA); Noah Merl (So, D, CAL); Aaron McHardy (Sr, F, OSU); Cliff McKinley (Jr, F, UCLA); Kyle Navarro (So, D, CAL); Kurt Ness (Jr, D, OSU); Jeremy Proud (Sr, Gk, FS) Zac Tallman (Sr, D, WASH); Matt Taylor (Jr, F, UCLA); James Twellman (So, MF/D, STAN); Christian vanBlommestein (Jr, D, OSU).

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