EDMONTON, AB - After a great season in net for the Heat men's soccer team Mitch McCaw was named to the 2016 Canada West Men’s Soccer First Team All-Star.

In his first year with UBC Okanagan, Mitch, originally from Calgary, AB, transferred from Portland's Concordia University where he played for three seasons with the Cavaliers in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and upon his arrival immediately made an impact for the Heat in Canada West.

In his first start in net, in the Heat home opener, Mitch made six saves in leading the Heat past Victoria (1-0). He had to be perfect on the day and that match set the tone for the season because it would be the first of many late goal victories for UBC Okanagan as Spencer Young scored the winner in the 88th minute. This pattern would repeat all the way into the playoffs as Mitch would keep the team in the match with some outstanding work between the posts and UBCO would find a way to score late in the match to snare a victory.

McCaw finished with five shutouts and six wins on the year, he played in all 14 matches for UBCO and logged 1,260 minutes in net. The fourth year management student made 66 saves with a .805 save percentage, and a 1.14 goals against average. For Mitch's efforts in two exciting September home wins over future Prairie playoff teams, Lethbridge and Calgary, he was named a Canada West First Star of the Week.

"We are extremely proud and pleased for Mitch and our program," head coach Dante Zanatta put in. "Mitch has had a great year with such a young team in front of him and has taken his opportunity and ran with it. His play throughout the year helped us to continue to improve as a program and indicates the quality of players that are now looking to attend and play with UBCO."

The UBC Okanagan men's and women's soccer programs have just completed their third year in Canada West. The men's program have made the post season in two of those three years and Mitch is the first from either soccer team to earn a Canada West All-Star.

Coach Zanatta is pleased with the team's acclimatization to the highest level of inter-university sport in Canada and the recognition his team is earning. "I’m thrilled that Mitch has earned this recognition for the time and work that he has put in and I hope this is the first of many for the program in the coming years."

The men's soccer program has a strong future at UBC Okanagan, next season Mitch will likely the only fifth year player on the roster. The starting lineup trotted out by Zanatta for most of this season was littered with first and second year players with only a pair of juniors mixed in, 10 of the 13 goals scored this season were by first year players and 12 of 13 by first or second years.

List of Canada West All-Stars for UBC Okanagan:

2016/17: First team: Mitch McCaw (MSOC)
2015/16: First team: Katie Wuttunee (WVB); Second team: Katy Klomps (WVB), Brianna Beamish (WVB)
2014/15: First team: Katy Klomps (WVB); Second team: Katie Wuttunee (WVB)
2013/14: Second team: Katy Klomps (WVB)
2012/13: Second team: Emily Oxland (WVB)
2011/12: Second team: Nate Speijer (MVB)

UBC Okanagan, has now earned nine Canada West All-Star awards overall since it joined the Canada West Universities Athletic Association in September of 2011 with basketball and volleyball, Soccer was added prior to the 2014 season.

News from © iNFOnews, 2016

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