ALL-CONFERENCE: Bruins’ Hammer Receives All-NWC Honorable Mention as Rookie

2011 All-Northwest Conference Teams

NEWBERG, Ore. – Bursting onto the college scene in fine fashion, George Fox University rookie forward Luke Hammer has been accorded honorable mention for the 2011 All-Northwest Conference Men’s Soccer Team as selected by a vote of the league’s eight coaches after leading the Bruins in four different offensive categories.

Hammer, a freshman from Roseburg, Ore., topped the Bruins with seven goals scored, 15 total points (seven goals, one assist), 35 shots, and 18 shots on goal.  In conference statistics, he tied for fourth in goals, tied for sixth in shots on goal and game-winning goals (2), tied for seventh in shots, and ranked 10th in total points.   

Hammer had the game-winners in both of George Fox’s wins this season as the Bruins went 2-15-1 overall and finished eighth in the conference at 0-13-1.  In his first collegiate game, Hammer scored the winning goal and assisted on another score as the Bruins opened with a 2-0 win at Oregon Tech.  He also had the go-ahead goal in the Bruins’ 3-0 win at Simpson (Calif.).  The first two-goal game of his career came on Oct. 15 in a 3-2 loss to Willamette, and he followed that up the next day with another goal as the Bruins lost 2-1 to Linfield. 

Hammer was named the NWC Men’s Soccer Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week for Oct. 10-16 with his three scores, despite the Bruins losing both games.  He also received honorable mention for NWC weekly honors twice, for the weeks of Aug. 29-Sept. 4 and Sept. 5-11.  He was named the Bruin Athletic Association Men’s Athlete of the Week for Sept. 5-11 and Oct. 10-16.

Spencer Augustin of conference champion Pacific Lutheran University was named the NWC Offensive Player of the Year, goalie Brian Sherpe of Whitworth University was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and John Yorke of Pacific Lutheran was named the Coach of the Year.