Men's Soccer 4/15/2021 11:00:00 AM

Spirit Host (15)Westmont in Second Consecutive Conference Championship Game

(15)WESTMONT WARRIORS (6-1-1, 5-0-1 GSAC) AT (RV)OUAZ SPIRIT (8-3, 6-2 GSAC)
Match Details	Friday, April 16 • 7:00 p.m. • Surprise, Ariz. • Spirit Field
Video Stream	ouazspirit.com/digital
OTT App	NAIA Network (Android TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku)
Live Stats	ouazspirit.com/sidearmstats/m soc

For the second consecutive season, the OUAZ men's soccer team will be participating in the Golden State Athletic Conference championship game. The Spirit, who received votes in the most recent NAIA Top 25 poll released on Wednesday, will host (15)Westmont at Spirit Field on Friday night.

These two teams met last postseason in the GSAC tournament, as the Spirit took down the then-No. 4 Warriors on its way to the GSAC Tournament Final. OUAZ scored two goals in 5:14 seconds in the first half as the 3-0 win on Nov. 13, 2019 was not only the program's first ever win over Westmont, but also over a top-5 team.

Wednesday also marked the release of the GSAC All-Conference Honors, and OUAZ was highlighted in a big way. Senior forward Samuel George won the GSAC Player of the Year award, while head coach Matt Gow was named the GSAC Coach of the Year, the first time a member of the program has won either award. George, Mauricio Ochoa, Jordan Rocha and Glademir were named to the all-conference team as well.

George put together a stellar shortened senior year, scoring six goals and adding an assist in 11 starts. Two of his six tallies were the deciding goal for the Spirit, who finished the regular season 6-2 in GSAC play. His game-winner against William Jessup in the regular season finale gave him sole possession of most goals in a career in program history.

Gow was named coach of the year as he guided the team to its second consecutive GSAC Championship Game. The .727 win percentage overall and .750 win percentage in conference is the best mark for both categories in program history, and the six wins in the GSAC is the most in the team's three seasons as a member.

Mauricio Ochoa played an incredible senior season, often starting the offense for his team and coming through in key moments. Ochoa led the conference in assists with six, and two of his three goals came as overtime winners over Arizona Christian. Ochoa doubled his career assist total with this season's performance, and is now the programs all-time assist leader.

Jordan Rocha took a bigger step from his second season in Surprise, splitting time between the midfield and the back line to bring great defensive work for OUAZ. For the first time in his career, he started all games in the regular season, and played the third most minutes on the team.

Glademir Mendoza transferred over from UCF, and helped anchor a back line that helped the Spirit record shutouts in four of its eight wins. While the team allowed just six goals in its final eight games, Mendoza also pitched in offensively, adding three assists throughout the ten games.

Angel Ramirez has put together an impressive season in the goal, leading the conference in save percentage (.900) and goals against average (0.38). Ramirez has two shutouts in his last three starts, has allowed just one goal over the last 284:44, and has allowed two goals in 467:56 all season long.

OUAZ has played some of its best defense down the stretch, allowing just seven goals in the eight conference games played. Four of the team's eight wins came via shutout this season, and only in one win did the team allow the opponent to score more than one goal.

The Spirit have also created plenty of opportunities for themselves, plus are willing to share the ball and create great opportunities. OUAZ is ranked 30^th in the NAIA in assists per game (2.18), and are also top 50 in shots per game, firing off nearly 16 per contest.

Kickoff from Surprise on Friday night is scheduled for 7pm PST. A limited number of tickets are available for purchase at https://www.gsacsports.org/tickets. Masks will be required for all indoor buildings on the OUAZ campus, and social distancing initiatives are encouraged inside of Spirit Field.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Samuel George: F; 5' 10"; Senior

#6 Mauricio Ochoa: MF; 5' 7"; Senior

#25 Jordan Rocha: D; 6' 2"; Junior

#1 Angel Ramirez: GK; 6' 1"; Senior

#22 Glademir Mendoza: D; 5' 10"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#11 Samuel George
: 5' 10"; Senior
: F

#6 Mauricio Ochoa
: 5' 7"; Senior
: MF

#25 Jordan Rocha
: 6' 2"; Junior
: D

#1 Angel Ramirez
: 6' 1"; Senior
: GK

#22 Glademir Mendoza
: 5' 10"; Junior
: D