April 5, 2019
(April 3, 2019) - After a successful championship weekend, M2 announces 2018-19 regular season awards.
No surprise that ten out of twelve 1st and 2nd team winners were on playoff teams and seven out of twelve competed in the M2 Cup Final Four Championship weekend. The M2 Champion, San Diego Sockers 2 had three of the twelve players selected plus one of the four major awards.
The M2 coach of the year is Rene Ortiz. Ortiz led the Sockers M2 team to a perfect 12-0 regular season record on their way to winning the M2 Championship. Ortiz is an assistant on the San Diego Sockers and the Head Coach of their M2 team. Ortiz is also the long-standing head coach of the Mexican Arena Soccer National team.
Continuing with the Sockers M2 awards is Goalkeeper of the Year Yair Aguilar who anchored the defense for the Sockers 2 perfect season. Yair lead the M2 in wins with 11, Goals Against Average 2.61, and shutouts with 2. No other goalkeeper recorded a shutout in the M2 this season.
The Defensive player of the year is Ryan Ybarra of the Chicago Mustangs. Ryan was not only a tough defender, but led the Mustangs offensively with 22 goals, 27 points, and 3 game winning goals. The Mustangs were the 2017/18 M2 league champion and finished the 2018/19 season with a 10-2 record to top the East in the regular season.
The M2's MVP is Jaime Rodriguez of the New Mexico Runners. Jaime was not on a playoff team this season, which makes his accomplishments even more impressive. Jaime led the M2 in three offensive categories: Goals 41, Total Points 52, and Power Play Goals with 6.
The M2's first team includes the three players above along with two Rochester Lancers standouts Boomer Steigelman and Lancers Captain Jake Schindler.
Boomer led the M2 in Assists this past season and Schindler was the rock in the back for the Lancers. Jake signed with the Lancers after retiring in 2014 and was then picked up by Utica in the MASL, and played for both teams the rest of the season.
Jake will also be competing with Utica in the MASL playoffs.
Rounding out the first team is Robert Garcia of the Las Vegas Knights. Robert paced the Knights to the M2 Cup Playoffs with 24 goals (4th in the M2), and 31 points (5th in the M2).
The second team is lead by forward Thomas Hoang of the Colorado Inferno who backed up his 2017-18 season MVP award with another great season. Joining him is fellow teammate and defender Alex Moseley. The Sockers M2 Championship team added two more to their season accomplishments. Midfielder Sean Callahan, and Defender Ismael Rojo. The net minder for the M2's 2nd team is Nate Steinwascher of Detroit Waza. Steinwascher was 2nd in the M2 for Goals Against Average at 4.79.
M2 2018-19 SEASON AWARDS
Most Valuable Player (MVP) – Jaime Rodriguez, New Mexico Runners
Coach of the Year – Rene Ortiz, San Diego Sockers 2
Defender of the Year – Ryan Ybarra, Chicago Mustangs
Goalkeeper of the Year – Yair Aguilar, San Diego Sockers 2
1ST TEAM ALL-MASL 2
GK – Yair Aguilar (Sockers 2)
D – Jake Schindler (Lancers)
D – Ryan Ybarra (Mustangs)
M – Robert Garcia (Knights)
M/F – Boomer Steigelman (Lancers)
F – Jaime Rodriguez (Runners)
2ND TEAM ALL-MASL 2
GK – Nate Steinwascher (Waza)
D – Alex Moseley (Inferno FC)
D – Ismael Rojo (Sockers 2)
M – Sean Callahan (Sockers 2)
M/F – Emmanuel Mendoza (Cuervos)
F – Thomas Hoang (Inferno FC)
For more information go to m2soccer.com and follow along on social media @m2arenasoccer.
## MASL 2 ##
ABOUT THE MAJOR ARENA SOCCER LEAGUE 2 (M2) The MASL 2 was formed in 2017 and serves as the official developmental league of the Major Arena Soccer League. The M2 and MASL represent the highest level of arena soccer in the world, and combined feature 32 teams across North America, with teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States, Mexico and Canada (Toronto to begin play in 2018).