Charlie Bales and Yves Dietrich Earn 'Player of the Year' Honors

A total of seven Leathernecks were named to the All-Summit League and All-Newcomer Teams on Wednesday (Nov. 12).

ELMHURST, Ill. - Western Illinois men's soccer senior captains Yves Dietrich and Charlie Bales were named The Summit League's 'Goalkeeper of the Year' and 'Defensive Player of the Year' as the league office announced its annual men's soccer all-league awards on Wednesday, November 12, on the eve of its championship tournament.

Senior Mario Alvarez and junior Erick Bloom joined Bales and Dietrich as First Team All-Summit League honorees giving Western a league-high four members, while Austin Gochneaur was honored as Second Team All-Summit League. Freshmen Jacob Bjornsen and Alejandro Pacheco were named to The Summit League's All-Newcomer team, giving Western a total of seven Summit All-League and All-Newcomer members.

Dietrich's 'Goalkeeper of the Year' award and First Team honors are a career first, and come on the tail end of a season where the German native led The Summit League in four categories, including saves (86), save percentage (.860), wins (8), and shutouts (7) while ranking second in goals against average. Dietrich is also currently ranked nationally in multiple categories, sitting as high as fourth in NCAA Division I for save percentage. He also became just the second player in league history to capture three consecutive 'Defensive Player of the Week' awards after compiling a six-match shutout streak that covered 586:18.

Bales' awards make the senior a three-time First Team All-League honoree and two-time Summit League 'Defensive Player of the Year', just the second player in Summit League history to do so. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native tied for fourth in the league with a career-high six goals while notching two assists, ranking him fifth in the league with 14 points. The captain also tied for the league lead with three game-winning goals and notched 47 shots (26 on goal).

Fellow Leatherneck First Team All-Summit League member, Mario Alvarez had a career year as well. The senior tallied a career-high three goals and notched six assists, while junior first teamer, Erick Bloom, took just four shots but was a key cog in a defense that yielded a league-low .78 goals against average, and a .63 GAA in league matches.

With the addition of Austin Gochneaur as Second Team All-League and Jacob Bjornsen and Alejandro Pacheco on the All-Newcomer team, the seven Leathernecks mark the most Western All-League honorees since 2006 when eight of the Purple and Gold were honored.

Head coach Dr. Eric Johnson and the Fighting Leathernecks will stow the hardware for now as they are slated to open The Summit League tournament tomorrow (Nov. 13) against Oral Roberts at 1 p.m. (CT) at CIBER Field in Denver, Colorado. Fans can watch the match on Altitude 2, or follow the live stats on GoLeathernecks.com.

Tweet #W1U

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#16 Alejandro Pacheco: MF/F; 5' 9"; Freshman; Iowa City

#1 Yves Dietrich: GK; 6' 1"; Senior; UW-Whitewater

#4 Austin Gochneaur: F; 6' 3"; Junior; Ankeny

#10 Mario Alvarez: MF; 5' 10"; Senior; Aurora West

#15 Erick Bloom: F; 5' 11"; Junior; Centennial

#2 Charlie Bales: D; 5' 8"; Senior; Xavier

#3 Jacob Bjornsen: MF; 5' 7"; Freshman; CR Washington

Players Mentioned

#16 Alejandro Pacheco
: 5' 9"; Freshman; Iowa City
: MF/F

#1 Yves Dietrich
: 6' 1"; Senior; UW-Whitewater
: GK

#4 Austin Gochneaur
: 6' 3"; Junior; Ankeny
: F

#10 Mario Alvarez
: 5' 10"; Senior; Aurora West
: MF

#15 Erick Bloom
: 5' 11"; Junior; Centennial
: F

#2 Charlie Bales
: 5' 8"; Senior; Xavier
: D

#3 Jacob Bjornsen
: 5' 7"; Freshman; CR Washington
: MF