By MICHAEL COIT
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

A great Sonoma State women’s soccer season netted five All-West Region honors, led by Cara Curtin and Sara Studer.

On the men’s side, Taylor Varnadore earned a third all-region award after helping lead the Seawolves’ strong campaign.

Curtin, a junior forward, and Studer, a senior defender, earned first-team NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer All-West Region honors. Senior goalkeeper Alexis Sciacqua, senior midfielder Ashley Martin and sophomore defender Carolyn Greco received second-team recognition.

Curtin, from Maria Carrillo High and Santa Rosa JC, scored 15 goals, the most since coach Emiria Salzmann Dunn tallied the same total for SSU in 1995. Curtin’s seven assists also led the team as she finished second in scoring in the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

A second consecutive region honor recognized Studer’s all-around play.

Studer, from Oceanside, was third on the team in scoring with five goals and five assists. Yet her primary position was on defense, using her speed to keep opposing scorers in check.

With 11 shutouts, Sciacqua led the CCAA. The former Montgomery High player also was a conference player of the week this season.

Also joining the second team were Martin, from Davis, and Greco, from Fullerton.

Martin was Sonoma State’s second-leading scorer. Greco helped anchor the conference’s best defense.

Sonoma State won the CCAA North Division and reached the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in four years.

In a men’s season that ended just short of the conference playoffs, Varnadore continued a fine career in his third year with the Seawolves, named to the NCAA Division II men’s All-West Region second team. The forward from Analy High made the same squad a year ago, and as a freshman was a third team region pick by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

This season Varnadore led the CCAA with nine goals. Varnadore is sixth on the Sonoma State career list with 31 goals heading into his senior campaign.