Canyon del Oro High School scoring machine Nick Marshall led the Dorados to the school's first-ever boys soccer state championship, earning him 2009 Tucson Citizen Boys Soccer PLayer of the Year honors.
Boys Player of the Year
WHO: Nick Marshall, Sr., Canyon del Oro High School
WHAT HE DID: Marshall led the Dorados to their first boys soccer state championship.
Marshall, who has given a verbal commitment to play in college at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, scored 39 goals this season along with 12 assists.
Marshall also served as the place-kicker for the past two seasons for Canyon del Oro’s football team.
QUOTABLE: “This is pretty big. It’s nice everyone is following me through my soccer career,” Marshall said of family and friends who have been a part of his high school soccer career. “It puts more pressure on me. I’ve got to be a better player going into college.”
Boys Coach of the Year
WHO: Roxanne Taylor, Rincon/University
WHAT SHE DID: Taylor coached the Rangers to their third-consecutive boys soccer state championship game – the past two in Class 5A Division II and one in Class 4A Division I in 2007.
Rincon finished with a 19-6 overall record and won the 5A-II Southern Region championship, earning the No. 3 seed in the 5A-II state tournament.
With a 1-0 win over Nogales on Jan. 6, Rincon put Taylor in elite company, handing the coach her 300th-career coaching victory.
QUOTABLE: “I’m really proud of the accomplishments,” Taylor said. “I always have to put it back on the team. If I didn’t have great players, then I wouldn’t be where I am today. I’m lucky every year we get better and better players.”
FIRST TEAM
F Donny Toia, Jr., Canyon del Oro
F Nick Marshall, Sr., CDO
F Mihn Vu, Sr., Rincon/University
MF Colin Anderson, Sr., Rinc./Univ.
MF Jann Nash, Sr., Sabino
MF Tony Lopez, Sr., Douglas
MF Fabian Romero, Jr., Sunnyside
D Phillip Porter, Sr., Salpointe
D Conner Muir, Sr., Canyon del Oro
D Abi Del Castillo, Sr., Douglas
GK Martin Encinas, Sr., Tucson High
SECOND TEAM
F J.C. Henson, Sr., Buena
F Ramon Acosta, Sr., Douglas
MF Blake Brennan, Jr., Salpointe
MF Joe Caito, Sr., Tucson High
MF Mike Valacich, Sr., CDO
D/F Rajiv Morales, Sr., Sunnyside
D Oscar Ortega, Jr., Sunnyside
D Niko Dougall, Jr., Salpointe
D Liam Beatty, Sr., Sabino
D Brice Nzeukou, Sr., Rincon/Univ.
GK Michael D’Arrigo, Sr., Cat. Foot.
HONORABLE MENTION
BUENA: Josh Rieffer, Declan Fulton. CDO: Ronald Tadoum, Eric Edwards. CATALINA: Mario Moraga, Ramon Vega. CAT. FOOTHILLS: Garrett Brown, Bryan English, Kyle Larson. CHOLLA: Rocky Farruggia. CIENEGA: Matt Cahill. DOUGLAS: Francisco Cruz, Jesus Cuevas, Ricky Smith, Martin Paco. IRON. RIDGE: Ben Ambrosio. MTN VIEW: Nick Peppe. PALO VERDE: Assani Igulu. PUEBLO: David Quevedo. PUSCH RIDGE: Matt Horrigan, Mitch Woody, Casey Vick. RINCON/UNIVERSITY: Fernando Mendez, Jeff Amlee, Tyler Heffernan, Lorenzo Portugal. SABINO: Paul Neff, Chase Ronsman, Jeff Weiler, Alex Elenas-Long. SAHUARITA: Eddie Maynard. SAHUARO: Dan Bacon, Zach Winans. SALPOINTE: Sergio Carrillo, Dylan Kelly. SUNNYSIDE: Ricardo Velazco. TUCSON HIGH: Jorge Bravo, Chris Marrone.
Rincon/University boys soccer coach Roxanne Taylor won her 300th career game this year and is the Tucson Citizen Boys Soccer Coach of the Year.