MERCED, Calif. – Trinidad Quiroz earned All-CCAA First Team honors and three Bobcats earned honorable mention recognition, as announced by the league office this week.
Quiroz has been selected all-conference first team for the third time in her career. Previously, she earned All-California Pacific Conference First Team honors in 2022 & 2023. She is the Bobcats first ever forward and third Bobcat all-time to earn a trio of first team accolades, joining Desiree Coles and Isabella Spiva.
Alicia Lepe, Lizzie Ledesma, and Jackie Tamayo earned honorable mention recognition.
UC Merced's four honorees are tied for the fourth most in the CCAA.
With the selections, UC Merced women's soccer extends its streak to 13 straight seasons with a first team member and 12 straight years with at least four conference award winners.
Quiroz led the Bobcats and finished second in the CCAA with seven goals and four game-winning goals. She recorded a brace against Cal State San Bernardino and scored a goal each against Cal State LA and Chico State. The San Jose, Calif., native scored in three straight nonconference games in the middle of September. Quiroz also delivered a team-high two assists on the year and finished first in the CCAA putting 33 of her 63 total shots on goal. She started all 18 games for UC Merced and led all non-defenders with 1,465 minutes played. Quiroz was named the CCAA Offensive Player of the Week on October 14. She finishes her career ranked second in program history with 110 career points and 48 career goals. The 2X NAIA All-American is the program record-holder with 20 career game-winning goals and 5.5 shots per game.
Lepe finished tied for first in the CCAA and 17th in NCAA Division II with nine solo shutouts, including posting a clean sheet against some of the top offenses on the West Coast in Simon Fraser, Cal State San Bernardino, and Western Oregon. The Modesto, Calif., native led the league with an .821 save percentage and was second with a .686 goals against average. Also of note, she recorded an assist at CSUSB. She started 17 matches while logging 1,575 total minutes. She made 55 saves. Lepe heads into her junior year ranked first in program history with a 0.59 career goals against average and is tied for second with 19 career shutouts. She was an All-Cal Pac Second Team selection last year.
Ledesma was a force in the midfield all year for the Bobcats and finished top five on the team with 1,341 minutes played. She played the full 90 minutes in the final two games of the season and in six games overall throughout the campaign. She helped the Bobcats record nine shutouts and was a threat offensively as well putting eight shots on goal. The Sacramento, Calif., native started 17 of the Bobcats 18 matches.
Tamayo was one of five Bobcats to start all 18 games while finishing fourth on the team with 1,359 minutes played. A midfielder, Tamayo played the full 90 minutes against CCAA postseason qualifiers Chico State and Stanislaus State, and the Concord, Calif., native was a big reason the Bobcats flirted with a positive result against each squad. Tamayo scored an equalizer against Chico State and finished third on the team with 17 shots on the season. She put a season-high four shots on target in the Chico State match. She also contributed defensively.
Stay up to date with everything UC Merced women's soccer in the offseason by following the team on Instagram at ucmerced_wsoc.
