KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The accolades keep rolling in for Portland Pilots Men's Soccer, with Kevin Bonilla making the United Soccer Coaches All-American First Team and Nick Fernandez making the third team. They are the first United Soccer Coaches All-Americans for Portland since 2018 and it's the first time they've had multiple from United Soccer Coaches since 2001.
"When both of your captains represent and live the values of your program you know your team is set up for success," Portland head coach Nick Carlin-Voigt said. "Nick and Kevin are two of the most talented players in the country. The great thing is they have no ego so they drive and model an incredible team culture."
Bonilla adds to a long list of honors for the defender. The Dallas defender notched one goal and 10 assists on the year, making him the first Pilot since 2017 to record 10 assists or more in a year. Bonilla ranked eighth nationally in the category as well. He also captained a Pilot defense that ranked first in the WCC in shutout percentage (.471) and goals-against average (.882), which was good for eighth and 12
th nationally in both categories.
This is just one of many honors that Bonilla has earned this year. With this honor, he becomes the first Pilot to earn First Team All-American honors since Kasey Keller back in 1991. Last month, Bonilla made the All-WCC First Team and was named the WCC Defender of the Year, the first Pilot to win the award since 2011. He made the All-West Region First Team earlier this week and was named a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in college soccer.
"Kevin being honored as first team all-American is an incredible honor for the year and improvement he's had since arriving in COVID," Carlin-Voigt said. "Kevin is the last person to care about individual accomplishments. Nothing has been handed to Kevin and everything he's earned he's deserved as the undisputed best right back in college soccer. More importantly he's a top human being and his character and journey represent everything right about college soccer."
Fernandez has also earned numerous honors after a stellar 2023 season. Fernandez starred in the midfield for Portland, playing in 15 games with 13 starts and tallying two goals with seven assists. He ranked fourth in the WCC in assists on the year and his goal against San Francisco proved to be the game-winner that helped Portland secure a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, their first bye since 1988.
This is the second time Fernandez has earned some form of All-American honors, having earned freshman All-American honors last season. He was also the first Pilot to be named WCC Midfielder of the Year and was also a first team All-WCC selection. He made the All-West Region First Team earlier this week and the WCC All-Academic Team on Thursday.
"Nick also joined us during Covid and has only gotten better and more impactful each season," Carlin-Voigt said. "He's a joy to coach and his improvement and development is what our program stands for. As the only sophomore in the county it's quite an honor for Portland Men's soccer. He's no longer quietly one of the best midfielders in the country and his impact was felt and seen this year as he really helped make us go. When he was firing on all cylinders our team hit another level of speed, precision and excitement in the final third."
The Pilots finished off a historic year that saw them go 12-5 and earn a first-round bye for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988. They boasted a home unbeaten streak of 26-0-2 that was a program record and the longest in the nation. They led the WCC in 11 different categories and nationally ranked second in assists per game (3.18), third in scoring offense (2.65), fourth in assists (54), fifth in points (144), sixth in goals (45) and goal differential (30), 12
th in shutout percentage (.471), 21
st in overall win percentage (.706) and 24
th in goals-against average (.882).
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