Tacoma Stars coach, keeper win MASL awards

The Major League Soccer League has tweeted out the news that Tacoma Stars coach Darren Sawatzky has been named coach of the year and Danny Waltman has been named goalkeeeper of the year.

Here’s is a news release from the league:

The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) announced today the winners of its five major individual awards ahead of the 2016 Conference Championship series. Each team, as well as members of the league front office, were given a ballot, and voting was conducted through the end of the regular season.

Soles de Sonora forward Franck Tayou was the overwhelming selection for Most Valuable Player. The Cameroonian striker finished at the top of the 2015/16 MASL regular season standings with 62 points on 47 goals (most in the league) and 15 assists and led his team to an overall No. 1 seed finish with a 17-3 record.

Gig Harbor, Washington native and Tacoma Stars goalkeeper Danny Waltman was named Goalkeeper of the Year. Waltman, who led the Stars to the playoffs in their first full MASL season, finished the campaign with 275 saves on 384 faced shots for a .716 save percentage and a 5.41 GAA.

For the second consecutive season, Baltimore Blast defender Pat Healey received the most overall votes for Defender of the Year. This season, he totaled 23 points on six goals and 17 assists. In addition, he tied at first for blocks with 43.

Twenty-three year old forward Alejandro Leyva of Soles de Sonora was named Rookie of the Year following his first professional campaign in which he totaled 35 points on 30 goals and five assists. The Hermosillo, Mexico native also scored three game-winning tallies this season.

Tacoma Stars Head Coach Darren Sawatzky’s won the league’s Coach of the Year award. Sawatzky’s Stars went 13-7 and advanced to the Ron Newman Cup Playoffs in their first full MASL season. Tacoma went 7-3 at home and 6-4 on the road.

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Tacoma Stars coach, keeper win MASL awards."