OCC’s Vargas earns MVP honors to top All-Orange Empire Conference

November 18, 2019

Orange Coast College freshman forward Daniel Vargas earned Most Valuable Player honors to cap off the 2019 All-Orange Empire Conference Team, as voted on by the conference's head coaches at their postseason meeting.

Vargas, a 5-foot-9, 150-pound freshman out of Costa Mesa HS, was a dominant player up front for the Pirates, tallying eight goals and nine assists and helped guide the Pirates to a strong second-place showing in the always-tough Orange Empire Conference. Just how tough was the OEC this year? Six of this year's seven teams earned spots in this year's Southern California Regional playoffs.

For the second year in a row, Fullerton College head coach Greg Aviles was named Coach of the Year after leading his Hornets to back-to-back OEC conference titles, the fourth conference crown in team history (1981).

Joining Aviles is a quartet of Hornet players who earned first-team honors – Ryan Meinardus, Alejandro Castillo, Manny Tovar and Marco Polo. Meinardus was FC's top scorer with eight goals and seven assists and notched a pair of game-winning goals for the Hornets. Castillo was close behind with six goals and two assists, while Tovar and Polo helped anchor a Hornet defense that allowed just 11 goals in 12 OEC matches (22 goals overall in 21 matches).

Listed below is this year's All-Orange Empire Conference Men's Soccer Team.

Orange Empire Conference Men's Soccer 2019

Coach of the Year: Greg Aviles, Fullerton College

MVP: Daniel Vargas, Forward, Freshman, Orange Coast College

First Team All-Conference

Ryan Meinardus Midfielder Freshman Fullerton

Alejandro Castillo Forward Sophomore Fullerton

Manny Tovar Defender Freshman Fullerton

Marco Polo Defender Sophomore Fullerton

Anthony Tobon Defender Freshman Orange Coast

Max Copeland Defender Freshman Orange Coast

Jake Whitcomb Defender Freshman Orange Coast

Byron Gutierrez Midfielder Sophomore Golden West

Rigo Cuevas Midfielder Sophomore Golden West

Ricardo Briseno Forward Freshman Golden West

Marcelo Aguirre Midfielder Freshman Santa Ana

Felipe Sanchez Midfielder Sophomore Santa Ana

Benjamin Asabi Forward Sophomore Irvine Valley

Max Kleinhammes Forward Freshman Irvine Valley

Nomar Ibarra Midfielder Freshman Cypress

Lorenzo Laviolette Forward Sophomore Cypress

Guillermo Fernandez Midfielder Freshman Santiago Cyn

Second Team All-Conference

Kentrell Dorsey Forward Freshman Fullerton

Mike Calderon Midfield Sophomore Fullerton

Brian Martinez Defender Sophomore Fullerton

Cayden Bonner Defender Sophomore Orange Coast

Chase Bullock Midfielder Freshman Orange Coast

Tyler Beteag Defender Freshman Orange Coast

Jonathan Ruiz Midfielder Freshman Golden West

Wilbert Suarez Forward Freshman Golden West

Carlos Guerra Defender Sophomore Santa Ana

Abel Bautista Midfielder Sophomore Santa Ana

Nate King Goalkeeper Sophomore Irvine Valley

Gibae Kim Midfielder Sophomore Irvine Valley

Kiam Aminloo Defender Freshman Cypress

Leonardo Mondragon Goalkeeper Freshman Cypress

Lucas Clarida Goalkeeper Freshman Santiago Cyn

Kevin Mendoza Defender Freshman Santiago Cyn