Brandywine Places 10 On All-PSUAC Men's Soccer Teams

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- For the second consecutive year, Penn State Brandywine men's soccer featured 10 all-conference performers, led by freshman Axel Ayllon-Ortiz (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett), who was named co-defensive player of the year, as the Penn State University Athletic Conference announced its end-of-year honors late Friday.

Brandywine, which led all schools in honorees for the second consecutive year, saw four players receive first team recognition. In addition to Ayllon-Ortiz, senior Ronaldo Calle (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), sophomore Joey Cairy (Aston, Pa./Sun Valley) and freshman Gavin Birch (Media, Pa./Strath Haven) were selected to the first team by the league's coaches.

Sophomores Ben Sarafinas (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown West), Dom Scrivano (Essington, Pa./Interboro) and Tyler Skaer (Brookhaven, Pa./The Christian Academy) and rookies Juan Guerrero (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) and Alex Lopez (Toughkenamon, Pa./Kennett) represented Brandywine on the second team. Freshman Evan Majercak (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) was named honorable mention, while senior Stevie DiSipio (Havertown, Pa./Haverford) received the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award.

Ayllon-Ortiz made an immediate impact, starting all 20 of the team's matches. He amassed nine assists, ranking second in the league, while adding nine goals, for 27 total points, the fourth-highest total in the PSUAC. He registered at least one point in all nine of the team's conference matches and netted game-winning goals in 1-0 victories over Penn State Beaver and Bryant & Stratton-Albany. Ayllon-Ortiz tallied a season-best five points on two goals and one assist in an 8-0 victory at Penn State Hazleton, while aiding a Brandywine defense that is top-ranked in the PSUAC and posted 12 shutouts.

Calle, now a two-time first team standout, produced five goals and two assists, while playing in 19 matches this fall. Four of his five scores and 10 of his 12 points came in PSUAC matches, including the first hat trick of his career in a win at Penn State York in early October. Calle also landed first team accolades during his junior season in 2018.

Cairy also earned his second first team nod in as many seasons at Brandywine. During 16 matches this fall, he produced 14 points, tallying five goals and four assists. Cairy collected a pair of three-point outings and scored two goals in a 3-0 victory at Penn State Mont Alto on Sept. 21.

Birch came on strong during the final half of the season, netting all 10 scores of his team-high goal total during the team's final 10 regular-season matches. Birch, who recorded goals in eight of 10 games to end the regular season, scored his first three career goals in the second half of a victory over Penn State Scranton on Sept. 25. One of six PSUAC men's soccer players to reach double figures in goals, Birch ranked third among league freshmen in scoring.

Sarafinas, who began the season as a defender before making the move to the midfield in October, played in 12 matches for the Lions. After the transition, he tallied points in three of the team's final five games, including a two-goal, one-assist showing at Pratt. Overall, Sarafinas collected three goals and three assists for nine points.

Scrivano ranked third on the team in scoring with 16 points and seven goals. Five of his six goals came during Brandywine's nine PSUAC victories. A starter in 17 matches, Scrivano posted a two-goal game against Penn State Scranton and two-assist performance against Penn State York.

Skaer earned all-PSUAC recognition for the second consecutive year after garnering honorable mention laurels as a freshman. He led a Brandywine defensive unit that yielded just 20 goals in 20 matches, the top mark in the conference. Skaer also contributed three points with one goal and one assist.

Guerrero thrived as the team's starting goalkeeper in 17 matches this fall. He topped all PSUAC net minders with 11 victories, seven shutouts and a 1.16 goals-against average. From Sept. 25-Oct. 16, a span of eight appearances, Guerrero recorded six shutouts and combined on two more, while holding a scoreless streak of 827:03, a new team record.

Lopez served as the Lions' fourth-leading scorer after tallying 15 points, while playing in 18 matches. He dished out seven assists, ranking second on the team and tied for third in the PSUAC, while adding four goals. Lopez recorded three games with at least one goal and one assist, including in his college debut against Berkeley on Aug. 30.

Majercak was one of three Lions to start all 20 matches. A defender, he helped Brandywine's back line hold conference opponents to just one goal in nine matches and eight consecutive shutouts to end the season.

DiSipio was Brandywine's selection for the John Fritz Sportsmanship Award. Named after former PSUAC Commissioner John Fritz, the sportsmanship award is given to one player from each team in the league who best displays the core values of the league and sportsmanship to teammates and opponents throughout the season. He recorded two goals and one assist during his senior season.