Nine Men’s Soccer Sophomores Move on, Four with All-GVC Awards

Nine sophomores played their final match for the Eagle men's soccer team earlier this month, leaving a large roster hole for coaches to fill.

Head coach Ed Kephart said this year's team, which also included 10 freshmen, showed its potential in a 1-0 loss to Butte in the season finale on Nov. 11, which was Sophomore Day.

Four of the sophomores leave with 2025 All-Golden Valley Conference awards in hand.

Defender Joe Collen-Dindar and midfielder Harrison Frewin, both team captains, made 1st Team All-Conference.

Midfielder Kian Herdman and forward Evan Stienike received 2nd Team honors.

The Eagles played strong defense against Butte, had some good looks at the net, but were unable to get one in.

They finished the season 5-13-1 overall and 3-7 for 4th place in conference. Feather River (18-4-1 overall) won the conference with a 9-1 record. Lake Tahoe (6-1-3 GVC, 11-6-5) was 2nd, Butte (6-3-1 GVC, 12-9-2) was 3rd, Redwoods (2-7-1 GVC, 3-13-3) was 5th, and Shasta (1-8-1 GVC, 1-11-1) was 6th.

A year ago, this year's sophomores were part of an Eagle team that won 8 games, two more than any other Siskiyous men's soccer team since the program started in 2016.

Head coach Ed Kephart said Eagle players and coaches struggled to find cohesiveness during a season he described as "underwhelming."

He said both Harrison Frewin, from Berkshire, UK, and Joe Collen-Dindar, from Reading, UK, were obvious choices for 1st Team All-Conference.

Playing midfield, Frewin led the Eagles in goals and assists. He tied for 7th in conference with 8 goals and tied for 8th in conference with 8 assists. He played in two fewer matches than the previous year but scored 5 more goals and had 4 more assists. He scored 2 goals twice, in back to back conference games in early October, a 5-2 win at Shasta and a 9-3 loss at Tahoe. He had 4 assists in a 6-1 win over Shasta in late October.

Collen-Dindar was the team's defensive anchor. "Without him we would have been much weaker," Kephart said. Despite playing defense, he tied for third on the team with 5 goals.

Kian Herdman, from Neath, UK, was the Eagles' second leading scorer with 6 goals, three of them in the home win over Shasta, all on assists from Frewin. Like Frewin, Herdman was a "consistent midfielder who would get forward and score," Kephart said.

Evan Stienike, from Greeley, CO, "stepped up" after transitioning this season from forward to right defender, according to Kephart, who said, "He found his calling and was a heck of a right defender. I think that will be his spot at the next level." Stienike scored twice this season.

The other sophomores recognized on Sophomore Day were defender Gabriel Pottecher Kelly from Stoke, UK, forward Elliott De La Haye Friend from Jersey Channel Islands, UK, defender Mason Doran from Windsor, CA, defender Devonn Glasford from Reading, UK, and forward Kaden Burch from Astoria, OR.

Glasford made 1st Team All-GVC as a freshman last year.

Burch tied for third on the team with 5 goals, tied for second with 3 assists, and was second to Frewin with 13 points. He finished his Eagle career with 9 goals and 6 assists in 27 games. De La Haye Friend scored twice and had 2 assists.

Two freshmen, Mario Ledezma-Olmedo from Smith River and Oliver Henry from Newcastle, UK, tied for fifth on the team with 3 goals each and tied for second on the team with 3 assists each.

Freshman goalkeeper Julian Martinez from Oakley was 3rd in conference with 71 saves and 3rd in goals against with 3.28 per game. He ended the season with 6 saves in the 1-0 loss to Butte.

Frewin and two freshmen, defender Zachariah Lukezic from Canada and David Kong from France, started all 17 games this season. Also playing in all 17 games were Stienike, Pottecher Kelly, Martinez, Ledezma-Olmedo, Herdman, Henry, and Burch. Freshman midfielder Adrian Contreras-Sanchez from Smith River played in 14 games and started 5.

Admitting to his share of the responsibility, Kephart said this year's Eagles "could never put a full game together. The team showed its potential against Butte. They played hard and had a chance to win."

With not many players expected to return next year, Kephart said, "We're hitting the reset button and trying to figure out how to put it together."

Before the final match against Butte, athletic coordinator Kevin Bradford II introduced each sophomore along with their hometown, favorite College of the Siskiyous memory and future college/career plans. His script shows:

#12 Gabriel Pottecher Kelly, Stoke, England. Monterey away freshman year. Transfer to study Exercise Science.

#7 Elliott De La Haye Friend, Jersey Channel Islands. Win at Yuba. Continue playing.

#23 Joe-Collen Dindar, Reading, England. Arguing with Ed Kephart. Hopefully carry on soccer at another college and play at the highest level possible, also become a coach.

#9 Mason Doran, Windsor, CA. Traveling. Southern Oregon U. Become a teacher coaching soccer for Rogue Valley in Medford.

#11 Evan Stienike, Greeley, CO. Having the best record in Siskiyous history my freshman year. Move on and play soccer at another school. Start construction business.

#24 Harrison Frewin, Wokingham, England. Traveling for away games celebrating. Planning to transfer out to carry on with my kinesiology degree.

#6 Devonn Glasford, Reading, England. Playing with Josef Wetz. Transfer and carry on playing.

#10 Kian Herdman, Neath, Wales. Setting the win record last year and watching Ed crash out and breaking tactics board this year. Want to become a personal trainer after transferring to a 4 year University.

18 Kaden Burch, Astoria, OR. Having the best record in COS history. Keep playing Footy.

By Steve Gerace