By Mason Nesbitt, Sports Information Director

Three members of The Master’s University men’s soccer team have been selected to the All-Golden State Athletic Conference squad, news released by the conference on Tuesday.

Graduate students Cameron Molyneux and Dylan Bielanski and senior Luis Garcia Sosa were among the 24 players honored as part of the conference’s year-end awards. The news came days before the Mustangs will face Vanguard University on the road Saturday in a GSAC tournament quarterfinal – and that’s where Molyneux has centered his attention.

“I’m honored to receive the award. Thankful for all of my teammates and coaches for constantly pushing me. It’s a team effort every day,” Molyneux said. “I’m looking forward though to the GSAC tourney. We want to win that.”

The No. 6-seeded Mustangs (8-7-2) likely would need to win the tournament to advance to NAIA nationals, and making such a run would likely involve large contributions from the team’s All-GSAC trio.

Bielanski leads Master’s with 13 goals. The mark represents a career high for the fifth-year player, who also has four assists to his credit.

He scored back-to-back game-winning goals in late September, the second coming in the 97th minute against the University of Antelope Valley, when he ran onto a towering Tyler Grassi pass and pushed it past the Pioneers’ keeper to win in overtime. Twice, Bielanski was named GSAC Player of the Week.

“He really stepped up on the offensive side especially with the amount of goal scorers that we lost from last year,” Molyneux said of Bielanski. “He’s also been a great leader and example for the rest of the team through his hard work.”

Molyneux, in his second season at TMU after transferring from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, is a first-time All-GSAC pick.

He has been the team’s most consistent defender in his time at Master’s, a steady, physical presence along the team’s back line. This season, he also added two goals and one assist.

“He’s provided incredible leadership,” Garcia Sosa said of Molyneux. “He knows how to discipline a back line, and he also provides great physicality. It takes something special to beat him.”

This is the third consecutive All-GSAC honor for Garcia Sosa, who has found his offensive form near the end of the year. Garcia Sosa has compiled six goals and five assists, with four of the goals and two of the assists coming in the team’s last three games as it made its final push to reach the GSAC tournament.

“I’m thankful for the honor,” Garcia Sosa said, “but I would trade any individual honor for a run at nationals.”

Game time is 12 p.m. Saturday in Costa Mesa. The Mustangs lost 1-0 to Vanguard last month, with the Lions scoring the game-winning goal in the 86th minute.

Westmont senior defender Tim Heiduk was named GSAC Player of the Year, and his coach, Dave Wolf, was Coach of the Year.

San Diego Christian’s William Nyambo was Newcomer of the Year.

For the complete team, click here.