SAN DIEGO – Aztec men's soccer head coach Lev Kirshner has revealed their annual team awards. Pablo Pelaez was voted the team MVP, Damian German was selected as the Top Newcomer and Adam Vargas was voted Most Inspirational. Coach Kirshner gave the Coach's Award to Chris Scatterday and Pelaez was honored for being the team captain.
Pelaez led the team in points (15) and goals (6) and tied for the team lead with three assists. He was the team captain and was named to the All-Pac-12 second-team.
German transferred to SDSU from Grand Canyon for his senior year and made an immediate impact up top for the Aztecs. He was second on the team with five goals with four of them being game-winners. After the season, he was named to the All-Pac-12 first-team and to the USC All-Far West Region Third Team.
Vargas, a transfer from Cal State Dominguez Hills, appeared in 16 games and made eight starts at midfield. He scored one goal and had an assist.
Scatterday earned the prestigious Coach's Award after maintaining an excellent team-first attitude despite a decrease in playing time.
"Chris epitomizes everything we want in an Aztec soccer player," Coach Kirshner explained. "This was best exemplified this past year when his minutes were curtailed. During this difficult time, Chris remained, not just a good teammate, but a great teammate. He never complained and was always asking, 'How can I help the team? How can I get better?' Chris led the team as if he were an appointed captain and always was one of our hardest working players in training. Chris is an outstanding human being, who has been named a scholar athlete multiple times. He typifies what it means to be a student-athlete and I am proud to bequeath the most important annual award to Chris Scatterday."
Awards for 2018 Season
As Voted by the Team
MVP - Pablo Pelaez
Top Newcomer - Damian German
Most Inspirational - Adam Vargas
As Selected by the Coach Kirshner
Coach's Award - Chris Scatterday
Captain - Pablo Pelaez