LUMBERTON — To follow up the all-county recognition from volleyball season, the end of the soccer season brings about the first all-county boys soccer team and postseason awards for the 2018 season.
With soccer season ending two weeks ago with St. Pauls’ defeat in the state playoffs, here’s a list of Robeson’s best in the sport this season based on coach recommendations and input from The Robesonian sports staff.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Alexis Mendez, midfielder, Sr., St. Pauls — After claiming the program’s second Three Rivers Conference Player of the Year nod this week, Mendez earned the county’s top player award after posting a career-best 20 assists during his final season, and 17 goals to boot. This comes after drawing attention from opposing defenses from his 31-goal campaign as a junior. Mendez’s effect on soccer matches went further than his impact on the box score as a vital part of the offensive attack from the midfield.
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Nick Ramirez, Jr., Purnell Swett — Between the pipes, there weren’t many better than Ramirez in the area. The junior for the Rams posted 178 saves in more than 1,500 minutes in goal. When the pressure was on, Ramirez also locked in as he had four penalty kick saves this season, including one against Lumberton in the Rams’ first win over their cross-county rival this season.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Brent Martin, St. Pauls — As the head man for the Bulldogs, Martin guided the senior-heavy team to new heights for the program, and the second home state playoff match in program history. To get the home match, Martin’s squad finished second in the Three Rivers Conference, and also produced the school’s second boys soccer conference Player of the Year.
TEAM REPRESENTATIVES
For Lumberton (10-11-1), seniors Quinton Frederick, C.J. Nemeroff, Josh Britt and Joan Carillo were selected to the all-county team. Nemeroff led the team with 10 goals and five assists, while Britt added nine goals and Frederick scored five times. Carillo, like Ramirez, was a force to be reckoned with in goal as he posted two shutouts this season while adding a sub-2 goals against average.
Purnell Swett (5-12-2) sent two underclassmen to the all-county team in sophomore Jafet Robles and freshman Jalen Hunt. Senior Pacey Brooks was also selected after being the anchoring piece on the defensive line. Robles led the Rams with nine goals and seven assists, while Hunt added four goals.
Red Springs’ (6-12) Rafael Valencia backed up an all-conference recognition by being the lone Red Devils selected all-county. The junior scored 12 goals and added eight assists for the Red Devils.
Joining Mendez on the all-county team from St. Pauls (15-4) was fellow seniors Bruno Ayala, Lalo Velasquez and Sam Flores. Flores scored a team-best 18 goals, with a majority coming off assists from Mendez, while Ayala was a force on defense, but also aided in the offensive attack this season with five goals and six assists. Velasquez proved to be a consistent running mate with Mendez in the midfield.
