Mawer, Ishii, Stratford Highlight All-Sun Belt Honors - West Virginia University Athletics

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Redshirt sophomore Toby Mawer was named Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year, junior Kanta Ishii earned Newcomer of the Year, and head coach Dan Stratford was named Coach of the Year to highlight the Sun Belt Conference postseason awards for the West Virginia University men's soccer team, as announced by the conference on Friday.

Mawer was joined on the All-Sun Belt First Team by senior Pablo Pozos while Ishii had juniors Isaac Scheer, Tristan Pusztahegyi, and Civan de Jesus Ferreira accompany him on the All-Sun Belt Second Team.

It is the fourth consecutive season that the Mountaineers have had at least five players named All-Sun Belt and the first time having six players named All-Conference since 2018 when WVU was in the Mid-American Conference. It is also the fourth straight season that WVU has had multiple first-team members.

Mawer is the first Mountaineer to be named Goalkeeper of the Year since Zach Johnson earned Big East honors in 2008. Overall, it is just the third time a WVU netminder earned the honor along with current assistant Coach Nick Noble in 2006. Mawer had a stellar season for the Mountaineers, starting 14 games and giving up just seven goals for a 0.50 goals against average, fourth best in the nation. In Sun Belt games, he was even better as he made 26 saves in eight contests and allowed only two goals for a 0.25 GAA. His nine overall shutouts are second in the country, and he did not allow a goal in the final 469 minutes of the regular season.

A two-time KJCCC Offensive Player of the Year, Ishii played a different role in his first season with the Mountaineers as a defender. He helped a defense that allowed just 0.563 goals per game, second-best in the country and had 10 shutouts, tied for most in the nation. He contributed on the offensive end as well with five assists, all of which came against Sun Belt opponents. Ishii is the first Mountaineer to be named Newcomer of the Year, regardless of conference.

Stratford earns his second Sun Belt Coach of the Year honor, having also won in 2024. Leading a team with high expectations, the preseason favorite Mountaineers successfully defended that acknowledgement by claiming the Sun Belt regular-season championship for the second time in the last three seasons and going 10-2-4 overall, the fourth straight year that WVU has had double-digit victories.

Pozos earns All-Sun Belt first team honors for the second consecutive season. He led the Mountaineers this year with seven goals and 16 points while adding two assists. The Madrid native had two multiple goal games, including a two-goal, two-assist performance against Denver for which he was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.

Scheer earns a spot on the second team after scoring two goals and dishing out a team-high six assists in 16 games this season. During Sun Belt games, the Charlotte native led the Mountaineers with seven points on two goals and three assists.

De Jesus Ferreira and Pusztahegyi anchored one of the best defenses in the nation from their center-back positions. The Mountaineer defense led the nation with 10 shutouts and allowed just 0.563 goals per game, second-best in the nation. Offensively, de Jesus Ferreira chipped in with two goals and one assist while Pusztahegyi had one assist.

The No. 9 Mountaineers are back on the pitch, Sunday, Nov. 8, against Georgia Southern for the Sun Belt quarterfinals. Kickoff from Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium is set for 3 p.m.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Players Mentioned

Kanta Ishii

Toby Mawer

Pablo Pozos

Tristan Pusztahegyi

Isaac Scheer

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