IRVINE, Calif. – When you put the names Barnes, Cloutier, Texter and Yang together, it sounds almost like a tough law firm that won't get pushed around.

The same could be said for that quartet on the lacrosse field as those four Concordia Golden Eagles were all voted as special award winners by the head coaches in the Peach Belt RMAC Division prior to the Conference Tournament getting underway.

Those four standouts were joined by their Concordia University Irvine teammates Matt Carresi, Chad McFadden, Colin O'Connor and face-off specialist Cade Poe as a whopping EIGHT First Team All-Conference selections.

Jeremy Barnes was named the league's Attacker of the Year after racking up 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points this regular season. The senior led CUI in both assists and points and was the only player on his team in the 20/20 Club (at least 20 Goals and 20 Assists). In addition, Barnes  scored multiple goals in five games this year and the game-winning goal in overtime to stun nationally-ranked Rollins. He had at least one point in every regular season match and led the RMAC Division with 1.54 assists per game.
 
The RMAC Defensive Player of the Year is no stranger to the big stage. Jake Cloutier is a former MCLA All-American for the CUI team that won the 2023 MCLA National Championship at the club level and was a star after sitting out the previous year due to injury. He racked up 27 ground balls and routinely guarded the best player on the opposing squad. He was second on his squad in ground balls and also Top 3 in caused turnovers (among non-face-off specialists).  Cloutier helped the Golden Eagles defense limit opponents to nine goals or less in each of their final seven regular season games.  Opponents also scored while a Man up just 28 percent of the time. 

In addition to this honor, Cloutier was also named the RMAC Men's Lacrosse Summit Award winner. This is awarded to a member of a RMAC program in each sport that rises to the occasion as both a student academically and an athlete during competition. It also recognizes players who are exceptional leaders on-and-off the field and raise the level of their teammates. In addition to earning a 4.0 GPA as an undergrad at Concordia, Cloutier currently owns a 3.92 GPA as a grad student while pursuing his MBA with a concentration on Sports Business. He has served as captain for multiple seasons as well as the team's leader as a SAAC rep during his time wearing the Green and Gold.
 
Max Texter was named RMAC Midfielder of the Year after a sterling campaign. The junior tallied 19 goals, 7 assists and 26 points this season. He ranked third on his team in both goals and points and scored a career-high five goals with an assist in a big road win over Westminster.  Texter entered the postseason already having scored multiple goals on five occasions.

Senior Daniel Yang is your RMAC Goalkeeper of the Year. The senior netminder recorded an 8.15 GAA and was credited with 87 saves this regular season. He led CUI to six of its first seven victories and racked up a season-high 12 saves in back-to-back conference games against Westminster and Colorado Mesa. In addition, Yang helped the CUI defense limit opponents to 10 goals or less in nine contests - including each of the final seven regular season games. 

Poe won an incredible 64 percent of his face off opportunities, coming away with possession for Concordia on 127 of 197 attempts at the X. He also led CUI with 87 ground balls, while fellow First Team All-Conference honoree O'Connor was second on the squad with 50 ground balls.

McFadden was second on the team in points (38) behind Barnes and a vital part to the CUI attack. He led the Golden Eagles with 25 regular season goals and added 13 assists, which was second on the squad.

Carresi has continued to be an important piece to the CUI offense since transferring to Irvine from Colorado Mesa a couple years ago. Carresi had 13 goals in 13 games and added 10 assists. He is the third member of the team to have double digits in goals and assists this season with Barnes and McFadden.

Concordia defeated Westminster Thursday in overtime in the RMAC Division semifinal and then played Colorado Mesa that Saturday for the chance to head to Florida and face the Peach Belt Conference winner for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

UPDATE:
Unfortunately, Colorado Mesa defeated CUI 15-6 in the RMAC Division Championship Game, and then defeated Flagler to secure the league's auto bid.

CLICK HERE for the full CUI men's lacrosse schedule