ALL-PACWEST TEAM
(SAN DIEGO) PacWest champions PLNU Women's Soccer led the conference with nine All-PacWest selections, as announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The Sea Lions ties its program record with six All-PacWest First Team selections, also the most in the conference, as sophomore forward
Maddy Saruwatari, senior midfielder
Nikki Ross, junior midfielder
Emma Naftzger, junior defender
Gianna Masinter, as well as senior defenders
Molly Bachman and
Abby Buys earned the honor.
Junior forward
Priya Torres and senior midfielder
Grace Nelson were selected to the Second Team, while junior goalkeeper
Cameron Simmons received Third Team recognition.
Saruwatari leads the team with eight goals and 20 points, ranking third in the PacWest in both categories, while also tying for fifth in the conference with four assists. Last year's PacWest Championships Most Outstanding Player earns her second straight All-Conference honor.
Ross earns her the third All-PacWest nod of her career after scoring five goals and adding a team-leading five assists, which is tied for second in the conference. Her 15 total points rank fifth in the PacWest.
Naftzger has scored four goals and added two assists this season for the Sea Lions, serving as the pivot in the PLNU midfield.
Masinter, an All-Conference player for the third straight season, leads the team with 1,420 minutes played while adding three goals and an assist.
Bachman (1,351 minutes) and Buys (1,379 minutes) have anchored Point Loma's backline that has kept seven shutouts this year, including four straight to close out the regular season.
Torres, the 2024 PacWest Freshman of the Year, earns her second straight All-Conference selection after scoring five goals and adding four assists as the team's starting striker. Her 14 points are the sixth most in the PacWest, as she is tied for fifth among conference players in both goals and assists.
Nelson is an All-PacWest player for the third consecutive season, scoring twice and tallying four assists as the engine in the Point Loma midfield.
Simmons leads the conference in goals against average (0.45) and save % (.875). She has kept five total shutouts on the season and has an 8-0-1 record as the team's starting goalkeeper.
Point Loma (10-2-5 overall, 7-0-2 PacWest) is the No. 1 seed in this week's PacWest Championships.
Top-seeded PLNU will play No. 4 seed Biola in the conference tournament semifinals on Wednesday at 11 a.m. HT / 1 p.m. PT, with the winner advancing to Saturday's championship match against either No. 2 seed Concordia or No. 3 seed Hawai'i Hilo (12 p.m. HT / 2 p.m. PT).
