The coaches' votes are in, and it is time to reveal the CCAA men's soccer all-conference teams and individual award winners for the 2025 season.
Cal State Dominguez Hills'
Ndifor Ginyui was named the CCAA Defender of the Year and overall CCAA Player of the Year. Cal State East Bay's
Alejandro Zarate earned CCAA Midfielder of the Year honors, and Cal Poly Pomona's
Marvin Gamez was selected as the CCAA Newcomer of the Year.
Stanislaus State collected four of the eight individual awards handed out for 2025.
Gerardo Flores earned CCAA Forward of the Year, and
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez was named the CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year.
Sebastian Carbajal collected CCAA Freshman of the Year honors, and the Warriors' leader,
John Powell, was voted the 2025 CCAA Coach of the Year.
Ndifor Ginyui was the anchor on the backline for the CCAA regular-season champions. The senior helped the Toros go unbeaten in CCAA play for the second consecutive season (8-0-2) and earn their third regular-season title in the past four seasons. Ginyui started 14 matches and played 1157 minutes. With him on the pitch, the Toros allowed only nine goals in 14 matches and posted eight shutouts. CSUDH will enter the CCAA Tournament ranked ninth in the NCAA with a 0.611 goals-against average and eighth in shutout percentage (.556). Ginyui is the second consecutive Toro to win CCAA Player of the Year (Mikey McKibbin) and the first to win CCAA Defender of the Year since Tony Alfaro in 2015.
Alejandro Zarate became the first Pioneer ever to win CCAA Midfielder of the Year. Zarate transferred in from Sonoma State and made an immediate impact at Cal State East Bay. After scoring just five goals in his first two collegiate seasons, Zarate exploded offensively in the Pioneers' system. He tied for the conference lead with nine goals and was second with nine assists. His 27 points are three more than any other student-athlete in the CCAA, and he ranks second in the country with two shots on goal per match. CSUEB went 6-1-2 in matches where Zarate scored at least one point, including 2-0-0 against nationally ranked Cal State LA.
Gerardo Flores was second in the CCAA in total points (24) after scoring nine goals and dishing out six assists. He tied for the conference lead in goals and was fourth in assists. Flores is also fifth in NCAA Div. II with five game-winning goals. He helped Stanislaus State rise to No. 1 in the national rankings as he posted game-winners in three of the Warriors' six non-conference matches (all wins). Stan State is 12-0-0 in matches in which Flores records a point, and he has posted at least one point in eight of the 10 conference matches. Warrior student-athletes have now won CCAA Forward of the Year in two of the first three seasons of the award (Tyler Tipton, 2023).
The conference coaches selected
Angel Ruiz-Hernandez as the 2025 CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year. The senior from Keyes, Calif., ranked seventh in the country in goals against average (.565), fifth in save percentage (.857), and fifth in shutouts (8). Ruiz-Hernandez helped Stan State rank eighth in NCAA Div. II in goal differential (plus-28) and seventh in goals against average (.563). Only twice all year did Ruiz-Hernandez allow more than one goal in a match, and he posted a shutout in five of the 10 conference matches. He will go into the tournament with 54 saves and eight shutouts. Ruiz-Hernandez is the first Stan State student-athlete to win CCAA Goalkeeper of the Year honors in the award's seven-year history.
Cal Poly Pomona
Marvin Gamez was named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year after leading the Broncos in goals and assists. Gamez transferred from El Camino College to CPP and quickly established himself as one of the best offensive players in the conference. He tied for fourth in goals (8), seventh in assists (5), and was fifth in total points (21). Cal Poly Pomona was unbeaten in matches in which Gamez scored (5-0-2), and he recorded a multi-goal match against UC Merced. Gamez is the first Bronco to win the Newcomer of the Year award since Paul Henschke in 2021.
Sebastian Carbajal from Stanislaus State earned CCAA Freshman of the Year honors. The Napa native registered five goals, two assists, and tied for 10th in the CCAA with 12 total points. Carbajal had game-winning goals in 1-0 wins over Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Marcos. He scored goals in three consecutive conference matches, and the Warriors never lost a match in which he recorded a point (6-0-1). Carbajal is Stan State's first CCAA Freshman of the Year since 2008 (Andrew Ruiz).
CCAA Coach of the Year honors go to Stanislaus State's
John Powell. Powell returned to his alma mater in spring of 2022 and, within three years, had taken the Warriors from a team that had not made the CCAA Tournament since 2015 to the No. 1 team in the country. Stanislaus State opened the year with six straight regional wins and did not suffer a loss until the end of October. The Warriors completed the regular season with a record 14-1-1, which included a 14-match unbeaten streak. Stanislaus State was picked to finish eighth in the CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll, and finished second in the standings, earning the best seed in program history (No. 2).
Powell helped coach five Stanislaus State student-athletes to first-team All-CCAA honors.
Emmanuel Duran (F),
Ian Reis (D), and
Samuel Villanueva (D) joined Ruiz-Hernandez and Flores on the first team.
Cal State Dominguez also had multiple first-team selections with
Christian Briseno (F) and Ginyui. The other first team selections, all in the midfield, included Cal State San Marcos'
Efren Nunez Dominguez, Cal State San Bernardino's Tony Negrete, Gamez, and Zarate.
The all-conference awards are announced on the brink of the CCAA Men's Soccer Tournament semifinals presented by FloCollege. The first round was held last Sunday, and the winners advanced to the final site in Seaside. The semifinal games will start Friday, Nov. 14, at 10:30 a.m., when Stanislaus State faces Cal State East Bay. Follow along with the competition at
GoCCAA.org/FloCollege.
| 2025 CCAA Men's Soccer All-Conference Team [PDF] |
| Player of the Year: Ndifor Ginyui, Cal State Dominguez Hills |
| Forward of the Year: Gerardo Flores, Stanislaus State |
| Midfielder of the Year: Alejandro Zarate, Cal State East Bay |
| Defender of the Year: Ndifor Ginyui, Cal State Dominguez Hills |
| Goalkeeper of the Year: Angel Ruiz-Hernandez, Stanislaus State |
| Newcomer of the Year: Marvin Gamez, Cal Poly Pomona |
| Freshman of the Year: Sebastian Carbajal, Stanislaus State |
| Coach of the Year: John Powell, Stanislaus State |
| All-CCAA First Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Angel Ruiz-Hernandez-^ |
Sr. |
GK |
Stanislaus State |
Keyes |
| Christian Briseno-# |
Sr. |
F |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Downey |
| Emmanuel Duran |
Jr. |
F |
Stanislaus State |
Napa |
| Gerardo Flores |
Jr. |
F |
Stanislaus State |
Modesto |
| Marvin Gamez |
Jr. |
MF |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Bell Gardens |
| Tony Negrete-^ |
Sr. |
MF |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Hawaiian Gardens |
| Efren Nunez Dominguez |
Jr. |
MF |
Cal State San Marcos |
Fontana |
| Alejandro Zarate-^ |
Jr. |
MF |
Cal State East Bay |
Elk Grove |
| Ndifor Ginyui-# |
Sr. |
D |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Bakersfield |
| Ian Reis-^ |
Sr. |
D |
Stanislaus State |
Napa |
| Samuel Villanueva-^ |
Sr. |
D |
Stanislaus State |
Napa |
|
|
|
|
|
| All-CCAA Second Team |
| Name |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
Hometown |
| Keegan O’Brien |
Fr. |
GK |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Fontana |
| Jonas Banouas |
Fr. |
F |
Cal State East Bay |
Zinnowitz, Germany |
| Sebastian Carbajal |
Fr. |
F |
Stanislaus State |
Napa |
| Rafa Fonseca |
So. |
F |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Fontana |
| Sam Lena-^ |
Sr. |
MF |
Cal Poly Pomona |
Santa Monica |
| Alex Mendez |
Sr. |
MF |
Cal State LA |
Los Angeles |
| Alpha Sowe |
Sr. |
MF |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Freetown, Sierra Leone |
| Sergio Valenzuela |
Sr. |
MF |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Santa Rosa |
| Diego Barahona |
Jr. |
D |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
Baldwin Hills |
| Damian Gonzalez |
Fr. |
D |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Whittier |
| Anthony Morales |
Sr. |
D |
Cal State San Bernardino |
Orange |
|
| Honorable Mentions |
| GK: Jack Chapman-^ (CPP), Adan Corona (CSUEB), Donovan Palomares (CSUSB); F: Clement Badger (CPP), Michael Gray (CHICO), Thomas Knierieme (UCM), Will Seargeant (CSUMB), Jakob Singh-^ (CPP); MF: Erick Alamo (CSLA), Christian Khanishian (UCM), Landon Leal Ruiz (STAN), Kenneth Livernois (CSUSB), Kiichi Murakami (CSUEB), Dane Peterson (CHICO), Jose Ponce (STAN), Julian Valle (CSUEB), Eric Vazquez-Acosta (CSUMB), Adrian Yepez (STAN); D: Geovanni Antuna (CSLA), Federico Barbieri (STAN), Emiliano Garcia (CPP), Blake Haseyama (CSUSM), Juan Lara (UCM) Eugenio Perez-Vera Merino (CSUEB). |
| * - previous All-CCAA first team selection; # - previous All-CCAA second team selection; ^ - previous honorable mention. |