Bautista Named Defensive Player of the Year as WCC Announces All-Conference Honorees
November 13, 2024 | Women's Soccer
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Oregon State defender Amaya Bautista was named West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, it was announced on Wednesday.
Bautista is coming off a stellar senior season, appearing in all 18 games and playing 1,574 minutes on the Beaver backline. Originally from Hayward, Calif., she played every minute during conference play while helping the Beavers to tie for the second-best defense in the WCC, allowing just 10 goals in 10 games.
Named a team captain prior to the season, Wednesday's announcement marks the first time in program history to that a Beaver has won conference defensive player of the year honors.
The all-conference teams were also named in Wednesday's release. McKenna Martinez was named Second Team All-Conference as Bautista, Juju Barker, Carly Carraher and Mya Sanchez were Honorable Mention selections; Hayden Wilson was named to the All-Freshman team.
Martinez was a Second Team All Pac-12 selection as a freshman before earning third team honors as a sophomore and junior, meaning she finishes her career with all-conference recognition in each of her four seasons as a Beaver. The Richland, Wash., native finished this season with five goals and two assists, which included game-winners against Wyoming and Pacific while scoring in three-consecutive games against San Francisco, San Diego and LMU.
Barker, also a team captain, played in every single game this season, spending a career-best 1,606 minutes on the pitch and going the full 90 in 16 games. She played 90 minutes in the Beavers' first clean sheet of the season at Idaho State and finished with shots against Wyoming, Gonzaga and LMU.
Carraher started 14 of her 17 appearances in 2024, playing 1,230 minutes. She scored the game-tying goal in the 85th minute of a 2-1 win over Wyoming and found her form late in the season, scoring twice in a win at San Diego before contributing assists against No. 20 Pepperdine and again in a 2-1 win over then-ranked No. 11 Santa Clara. She finished with single season career-highs for points, goals and assists.
Sanchez proved to be one of the top goalkeepers in the conference in 2024, leading the WCC in saves (92) and saves per game (5.11) while ranking third in overall save percentage (78.0). She took her game to a new level during conference play, leading the league in save percentage across the Beavers' 10 conference games, stopping 83.0% of the shots she faced. A two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Sanchez had a career-high nine saves in that victory over Santa Clara.
Wilson played five minutes in the Beavers' opener before starting and playing the full 90 in 15 of the team's final 17 games. She scored her first career goal against South Dakota State on Sept. 15 and found the back of the net two games later, scoring the Beavers' first in a 4-2 win over Gonzaga. Originally from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Wilson finished her freshman season with two goals across 1,517 minutes played.
OUR MISSION:
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Bautista is coming off a stellar senior season, appearing in all 18 games and playing 1,574 minutes on the Beaver backline. Originally from Hayward, Calif., she played every minute during conference play while helping the Beavers to tie for the second-best defense in the WCC, allowing just 10 goals in 10 games.
Named a team captain prior to the season, Wednesday's announcement marks the first time in program history to that a Beaver has won conference defensive player of the year honors.
The all-conference teams were also named in Wednesday's release. McKenna Martinez was named Second Team All-Conference as Bautista, Juju Barker, Carly Carraher and Mya Sanchez were Honorable Mention selections; Hayden Wilson was named to the All-Freshman team.
Martinez was a Second Team All Pac-12 selection as a freshman before earning third team honors as a sophomore and junior, meaning she finishes her career with all-conference recognition in each of her four seasons as a Beaver. The Richland, Wash., native finished this season with five goals and two assists, which included game-winners against Wyoming and Pacific while scoring in three-consecutive games against San Francisco, San Diego and LMU.
Barker, also a team captain, played in every single game this season, spending a career-best 1,606 minutes on the pitch and going the full 90 in 16 games. She played 90 minutes in the Beavers' first clean sheet of the season at Idaho State and finished with shots against Wyoming, Gonzaga and LMU.
Carraher started 14 of her 17 appearances in 2024, playing 1,230 minutes. She scored the game-tying goal in the 85th minute of a 2-1 win over Wyoming and found her form late in the season, scoring twice in a win at San Diego before contributing assists against No. 20 Pepperdine and again in a 2-1 win over then-ranked No. 11 Santa Clara. She finished with single season career-highs for points, goals and assists.
Sanchez proved to be one of the top goalkeepers in the conference in 2024, leading the WCC in saves (92) and saves per game (5.11) while ranking third in overall save percentage (78.0). She took her game to a new level during conference play, leading the league in save percentage across the Beavers' 10 conference games, stopping 83.0% of the shots she faced. A two-time WCC Defensive Player of the Week honoree, Sanchez had a career-high nine saves in that victory over Santa Clara.
Wilson played five minutes in the Beavers' opener before starting and playing the full 90 in 15 of the team's final 17 games. She scored her first career goal against South Dakota State on Sept. 15 and found the back of the net two games later, scoring the Beavers' first in a 4-2 win over Gonzaga. Originally from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Wilson finished her freshman season with two goals across 1,517 minutes played.
OUR MISSION:
Oregon State Athletics strives to Build Excellent Authentic Visionary Student-Athletes (Go BEAVS).
Players Mentioned
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