SAN MATEO, Calif. -- Senior and sophomore midfielders Jake Arteaga and Nick Fernandez were both named to the 2021 Preseason All-WCC Men's Soccer Team as the Portland Pilots were picked to finish third in the conference. It is the first time that Arteaga and Fernandez have earned such honors.
Arteaga and Fernandez both put together stellar seasons in the midfield for the Pilots. Arteaga earned All-WCC Postseason honors for the second time in his career, garnering All-WCC honorable mention recognition. He had made the All-WCC Freshman team his first year on The Bluff. Last season, Arteaga notched one assist in the season opener against George Fox.
Fernandez was impressive in his first year at Portland, making the All-WCC Second Team as well as the All-WCC Freshman Team. He tallied one goal and one assist on the year, both of those coming in the season opener against George Fox.
It is also the fifth season in a row where the Pilots have been selected to finish in the top three of the WCC. Portland has been selected to do so every year that Nick Carlin-Voigt has been head coach of the Pilots except for his first year on The Bluff. Loyola Marymount, who is ranked 17th in the nation heading in to the season, was picked to finish first while Saint Mary's was picked second.
The Pilots will host their first home event of the 2021-22 academic year this Friday at 7 p.m. when they welcome the Corban Warriors to The Bluff for an exhibition match. The following week, the Pilots will play the Air Force Falcons on Friday, Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. to open their regular season. Tickets are available now at
PortlandPilots.com.
2021 WCC Preseason Men's Soccer Poll
| Place |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
LMU (7) |
49 |
| 2. |
Saint Mary's (1) |
43 |
| 3. |
Portland |
31 |
| 4. |
San Diego |
28 |
| 5. |
Santa Clara |
26 |
| 6. |
Pacific |
21 |
| 7. |
San Francisco |
18 |
| 8. |
Gonzaga |
8 |
2021 Preseason All-WCC Men's Soccer Team
| Name |
Institution |
Year |
Position |
| Nonso Adimabua |
San Francisco |
So. |
F |
| Jake Arteaga |
Portland |
Sr. |
M |
| Noel Caliskan |
LMU |
Jr. |
M |
| Alex Churness |
San Diego |
Jr. |
F |
| Nick Fernandez |
Portland |
So. |
M |
| Ryan Her |
Pacific |
Jr. |
M |
| Jacob Jackson |
LMU |
Jr. |
GK |
| Demitrius Kigeya |
Gonzaga |
Jr. |
F |
| Yazid Omri |
Pacific |
Jr. |
M |
| Javier Ruiz Duran |
Santa Clara |
Sr. |
F/M |
| Sebastian Schacht |
Saint Mary's |
Sr. |
M |
