San Antonio – Stephen Gamez was named Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year and was one of five St. Mary’s University student-athletes to earn All-Heartland Conference recognition for the 2009 men’s soccer season. In addition to Gamez’s award, Kyle Farrell and Adam Villanueva were named first team All-Heartland Conference, while Brett Collier and Joseph Diaz earned second team recognition.

Gamez (Fr., San Antonio) finished second on the team in scoring with 3 goals and 2 assists this season. He had the game-winning goal in the Rattlers 2-0 win over the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. He scored his first career goal against Our Lady of the Lake University. Gamez played in all 18 games this season, making 14 starts.

Farrell (Sr., Edmond, Okla.) wrapped up his St. Mary’s career with another strong season, earning All-Heartland Conference for the third straight season. The award marked the first time he has been named first team All-Heartland Conference. Farrell started and played in all 18 games this season, helping the St. Mary’s defense post 4 shutouts. He assisted on 2 goals this season, a career high. For his career, he played in 68 games, scored 3 goals and assisted on 3 more. His 68 games played are the second highest for a player in St. Mary’s history.

Villanueva (Sr., DeSoto, Texas) earned All-Heartland Conference honors for the second straight season. The Rattlers’ team captain had 2 goals and 1 assist this season to finish fourth on the team in scoring. He started and played in all 18 games this season. Villanueva scored the game winning goal and picked up an assist against Our Lady of the Lake University. His second goal of the season came against the University of the Incarnate Word. In his two years with the team, he played in 34 games, picking up 5 goals and 4 assists.

Collier (Sr., Schertz, Texas) wrapped up a memorable career as the Rattlers goalkeeper, earning All-Heartland Conference honors for the second time. In 2009, he played every minute of the Rattlers 18 games. He had a 2.34 goals-against average with 74 saves and 4 shutouts. His 74 saves is the fourth most for a single season in school history. In his career, Collier has a school-record 163 saves, 9 shutouts and a 1.92 goals-against average.

Diaz (Jr., San Antonio) received All-Heartland Conference recognition for the first time this season. Diaz played in 17 games, picking up 1 assist as a midfielder. In his two years with the Rattlers, Diaz has 4 goals and 2 assists.

St. Mary’s finished the 2009 season with a 5-12-1 overall record and a 3-6-1 mark in Heartland Conference play. They finished fourth in the Heartland Conference standings this season.

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