2016 Men's Soccer Honorable Mentions
The 2016 Cape Fear Men's Soccer NJCAA Region 10 Honorable Mentions pictured above are Sophomore Captain #3 Defender Cristian Calderon and Sophomore Captain #27 Defender Lennon-McCartney Barrier.
Calderon was the mainstay of the Sea Devils defense, starting in all 14 games he played in. While he was rotated around the back line, he found a home early at right center back and stayed there for the remainder of the season, only missing games due to injury. Although he didn't rack up any stats on the season, he played a significant role in keeping the opponents at bay.
His efforts this season did not go unnoticed. Assistant coach Chris Harper credited Calderon's work ethic, stating, "Cristian is a very hard worker, who never gives up. He gives 100% all the way."
Along with his work ethic, assistant coach Richard Yakubu believes Calderon's plays with the right mindset and shows great character.
"[Calderon] is a great example on and off the field for his teammates, [and is] a humble player and excellent leader through his actions. Cristian is a player who will not give up and will sacrifice for the team. I see a great future ahead of this young man."
Finally, while also praising his hard work, head coach C.W. Ponton stressed how important Calderon was to his team.
"I said it before and I'll say it again, Cristian is a 6'5" man in a 5'5" body. He will beat you, and will not do it in a cocky or obnoxious way. [He was] arguably the hardest worker on the team on and off the field, and it's a shame I only got to have him on the team this one season. While there were many players who were very important to the team, Cristian was certainly up there in importance. What I mean is when I didn't have Cristian on the field (due to injury) I had to start moving players around to cover his absence. That's how important he was to how we did things. He will be missed by our coaching staff and his teammates, but we appreciate all he brought this season."
McCartney was one of only two Sea Devils to start all 16 games this season. He played all 10 field positions by the end of the season, but was most often found playing left back or defensive midfield. McCartney tallied one goal this season during the team's attempted rally at home against USC Salkehatchie.
As with Calderon, the coaching staff had plenty of positive things to say about McCartney. Assistant coach Harper spoke highly of his team first attitude, stating, "McCartney is the epitome of a team player. He's always willing to learn and strives to always be better for himself and his teammates.
Assistant coach Yakubu pointed to the way he leads by example, and how it earned the respect of his teammates.
"McCartney is a man of few words, though very wise and smart. When it comes to the game he is level headed and always willing to learn and improve. He is very coachable. His teammates clearly respect him as a leader and captain."
Head coach C.W. Ponton spoke of his versatility. "While Cristian played a very important role and I always had to move players to cover his absence, I was always willing to move McCartney anywhere on the field. The fact is when I moved McCartney somewhere I knew that position would be covered without a doubt."
Along with that, coach Ponton was also impressed with his attitude and character. "[He] really improved as a leader on our team as the season went on. He showed he was the most diverse player on the team by being able to play any position and still contribute. Humble is the one word that comes to mind when I think of McCartney. I certainly could see McCartney being a fellow coach down the road."
Finally, coach Ponton offered some final words on his two honorable mentions.
"These are the kind of players every coach wants. They steadily improved as the season went on and never gave up. They came in to everyday with a good attitude and were exactly what we want in leaders and captains. While the season didn't go the way we would have liked these two kept the spirit up and fought the whole way. They are both extremely respectful to anyone and everyone they come in contact with. To any college coach who reads this, these are two players you want in your program. They will be missed, but I am thankful for the impact they made this fall, and look forward to working with them in the spring."
