LA MIRADA, Calif. --- The Biola Men's Soccer team earned six All-PacWest selections on Wednesday when the PacWest Conference Office Announcement the 39 recipients of the postseason recognitions.

After allowing a paltry nine goals in 11 conference matches, all four members of Biola's backline who started 10 contests or more this season were awarded All-PacWest honors. That includes two individuals who achieved all-conferences firsts for the program in the NCAA DII: Junior goalkeeper Luis Rodriguez earned the first individual honor for men's soccer as the PacWest's Goalkeeper of the Year while senior captain Kousei Mattox becames BUMS' first two-time All-PacWest student-athlete.

Mattox' back-to-back All-PacWest selection as a defender becomes all the more impressive this year since he was selected as an all-conference midfielder following a 2017 season. Additionally, this is Mattox' fourth all-conference honor during his time at Biola, making him the first Eagle to get four-consecutive postseason awards since Dan Fosmire won for NAIA All-District honors in the 1980's.

"After playing three and a half seasons at holding midfielder, it's ironic that he was a centerback in Japan and became one for us again when it became necessary for us to move him there," said Head Coach Todd Elkins. "I thought everyone was better with him back there and it reassured others around him. We relied on his possession, ability to switch the field, defensive positioning, all those things that he did so well in the midfield, so he really deserves this."

Mattox is joined on the All-PacWest second-team by junior striker Leo Thompson while his fellow defenders Jake Munivez and Parker Setran also garnered All-PacWest selections on the third team. Midfielder Atu Galadima also joins Rodriguez on the First Team and gets rewarded for his excellent play in conference by being selected as one of the top-four midfielders at a position that arguably has the PacWest's most talented players this year.

Atu had a lot of soccer bottled up that kinda came out during conference play, trying to get healthy in preseason and chomping at the bit to get out onto the field," said Elkins. "He's a different player than probably what most teams would normally face in the midfielder. He's deceptive and strong, he's got a good touch to get past you and I like that's been recognized for those unique additions he brings. He's been a definite game changer for us."

Rodriguez won his first all-conference selection and the Goalkeeper of the Year award after finishing with the PacWest's best goal against average (1.25) and only improving as the Eagles played the toughest portion of their conference schedule. The junior averages less than one goal allowed over his last seven matches, which includes fixtures against the top-four finishers in the PacWest standings and Biola's roadtrip in Hawaii.

Rodriguez also earned Defender of the Week honors for Biola on Oct. 15 after turning in a clean sheet against Hawaii Pacific with seven first-half saves.

"I think as a team we got better defensively as the season went on and there was even a battle at the goalkeeper position with Luis and Alex Muir battling it out , So in the end, I think that helped Luis' game improve," said Elkins. "Coach Bryan Price should take a lot credit in training Luis since he's a new keeper for us this year but credit to Luiss too for looking like an entirely new keeper during conference play. He has really calm demeanor out there that has a ripple effect on his teammates and leads them to trust him to make saves. I'm very happy for him and he was a big reason for us being able to stay in every game."

Englishman Leo Thompson caught fire during PacWest play for the Eagles to earn his first all-conference selection with Biola as a second team forward. Eight of Thompson's 11 goals this season came against conference opponents and he had three multi-goal matches, including a hat trick against Dominican in the last match of the season. Thompson became the first Eagle since Joey O'Keefe in 2015 to score 10 or more goals in one season and the third men's soccer student-athlete to do so in the 2010 decade.

"I had high hopes for Leo this year in terms of scoring goals and he just kept plugging away," said Elkins. "His production was crucial for us and like most good attackers, he kept looking to the next opportunity. He kept making the runs, kept jumping on loose balls and shooting. I think this is just the beginning for him and I think he could bump up to first team next year with a good off season."

Jake Munivez and Parker Setran are both recognized as defenders on the third team after anchoring Biola's defense for the entire season and limiting every opponent in conference play to two goals or fewer. Munivez was one of Biola's starting center-backs the entire season and played every minute of conference play while being a real asset on the offensive and defensive end of headers. Setran logged over 1,500 minutes for the third-straight season at outside back and earned the praise of his head coach for how good Setran is at stopping or impeding opposing attackers.

"Jake and Parker are really tough to get through in their combination on the right side," said Elkins. "I think Jake might have gotten the most minutes for us this year and I don't ever remember wanting to take those guys out of the match. They really put their head down and they work, they're tireless and good attackers think that they've beaten them but it's really hard to beat them, especially Parker. He finds a way to close the distance back that attackers take and he's not beat until someone shoots or crosses. Jake really matured throughout the season as he stepped into the roll of being a starter we relied on. I think his best game was probably on the road at Point Loma, defending an all-conference first team player in Tim Siegfried. I hope this is a real boost for him going into next season because it's well-deserved."