So far this 2016 NCAA Men's Soccer season, several Timbers Academy players have put their stamps on their teams' performances.
Close to home, Oregon State University's Eric Diaz-Gutierrez has begun his freshman campaign with aplomb, appearing in 16 matches this season (starting 10), in which time he's accumulated over 1000 minutes of game experience and tallied five assists. Diaz-Gutierrez has started each of the Beavers' last four matches, assisting twice in a recent 3-2 victory over San Diego State University.
The Beavers will finish their season on Thursday at the University of Washington, where Diaz-Gutierrez and his teammates – whose number includes Timbers Academy alumni Davis Chimento, Alejandro Sergovia, and Jesse Garcia-Aguilar – will try to earn their way into this year's NCAA playoffs.
Also in the region, Academy alums Rolondo Velazquez and Timur Zhividze helped Corban University capture its fourth-ever Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) Tournament Championship last night with a 3-0 win over the University of Great Falls. Zhividze, recently named the CCC Player of the Year, will help lead the Warriors into the upcoming NAIA National Tournament.
Here in Portland, meanwhile, University of Portland freshman forward Giovanni Magana-Rivera has made a major splash in his debut season. Magana-Rivera has appeared 17 times for UP in 2016, starting in each of the team's last six matches, and has scored three goals for the 11-5-1 Pilots with only one regular season match remaining.
Further south, former Timbers Academy players Foster Langsdorf and Sam Werner have been critical to the success of eighth ranked Stanford University.
So far this season, Langsdorf has scored 11 goals and tallied two assists in 17 appearances (16 starts) for the Cardinal. In Stanford's most recent three matches, two of which were wins, the Vancouver, Wash. native scored three goals and added one assist.
Werner, who along with Langsdorf was profiled on Timbers.com last year, has played nearly 1000 minutes in midfield this season. In his seven starts, Werner has scored one goal and tallied three assists. While Werner has not recently started for the Cardinal, his assist in a recent match against UCLA proved crucial as Stanford went on to win that match 3-2.
Through 17 matches this season, Stanford has posted a 10-3-4 record in the competitive Pac-12 division, with its lone remaining regular season match against rival Cal Berkeley this Friday. They'll be looking to finish strong ahead of what they hope will be a long postseason campaign.
Moving east, Timbers Academy alumnus Peter Prescott has already made major strides at his new home at Creighton University. In his sophomore season, Prescott has played every minute of every game for the Bluejays who are currently ranked 24th in the nation.
“We have the skill-set, we have the drive and desire,” Prescott told the Omaha World-Herald late last month about himself his teammates in defense. “It’s just making sure you don’t get scored on no matter what.”
Prescott and the Creighton defense will try to do that against 25th ranked Providence this Thursday in their efforts to qualify for and win the Big East Championship on Sunday.
Across the country at Ohio's Akron University, junior Niko DeVera has started five of the last six matches for the Zips. In that span, DeVera has picked up two assists to go along with his one goal on the season. The Zips, who currently sit just outside the NCAA Top 25, will host Western Michigan this Friday in the Mid-American Conference Championship.
Finally, Terrell Lowe, who played over 600 minutes for Portland Timbers 2 in the USL this past season, has kicked off his collegiate career by making himself a mainstay in the University of Virginia's starting line-up. Lowe has started 17 matches in midfield for the 17th ranked Cavaliers, notching one assist.
