Chargers put 4 players on All-Region 4 men’s soccer team
GALESBURG — Four players, including three first-team picks, represented Sandburg on this year’s All-Region 4 Division II men’s soccer team.
Luis Garcia, Alberto Fernandez Do Carmo and Valentin Kretschmer were first-team selections, while Ramon Ponga was voted to the second team. The quartet helped the Chargers post a 12-3-3 overall record, put together a 12-game unbeaten streak to close the regular season, win a second consecutive Arrowhead Conference title and earn the No. 2 seed in the region tournament. All four players were also voted to the 2025 All-Arrowhead Conference team.
Garcia, a sophomore striker, earned back-to-back all-region honors after being a second-team pick last year. Garcia led the Chargers in goals (13), assists (six), points (32), shot attempts (48) and shots on goal (23) this fall. He also tied for the team lead with three game-winning goals. Garcia had three multi-goal games, including a four-goal, nine-point performance in the Chargers’ Oct. 2 win over Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County.
Kretschmer, who was named the Arrowhead Conference MVP, finished second to Garcia among Chargers with eight goals, five assists and 21 points. The sophomore striker had two-goal efforts Sept. 21 at Harper and Oct. 8 against Black Hawk. He also had a four-point contest against UW-Whitewater at Rock County, scoring once and assisting on two goals.
Fernandez Do Carmo tied Garcia for the team lead with three game-winning goals, including a 90th-minute penalty kick in Sandburg’s win over Black Hawk. The sophomore center midfielder totaled six goals, three assists and 15 points on the season. He scored twice in Sandburg’s Sept. 1 win over Kennedy-King.
Ponga, a freshman striker, came on strong late in the season, with five of his eight points coming in the Chargers’ final two regular season matches. He scored and had an assist in Sandburg’s Oct. 17 win over Kishwaukee, and he delivered the game-winning goal in the Chargers’ 1-0 victory Oct. 25 over Heartland.
2025 ALL-REGION 4 DIVISION II MEN’S SOCCER TEAM
First team
Javier Flores (Black Hawk)
Daniel Souvak (Bryant & Stratton)
Luis Garcia (Sandburg)
Alberto Fernandez Do Carmo (Sandburg)
Valentin Kretschmer (Sandburg)
Jason Hufnagle (DuPage)
Joel Ostola (DuPage)
Adrian Diaz (Elgin)
Kevin Aguilar (Elgin)
Gabe Arias (Elgin)
Hudson Nielson (Madison)
JJ Espinoza (Madison)
Cole Rogers (Madison)
Rodrigo Lasso (Madison)
Caylen Coventry (Madison)
Henry Knoll (McHenry County)
Braden Kison (Milwaukee Area)
David Kurzeja (Moraine Valley)
Ricardo Cruz (Morton)
Eneas Laureys (Morton)
Stefan Zelendric (Oakton)
Joseph Gonzalez (Oakton)
Mateo Nabona (Prairie State)
Angel Saenz (Prairie State)
Gio Melgdza (South Suburban)
Adam Jedrzejczyk (Triton)
Giovani Alvarez (Triton)
Jayden Patino (Waubonsee)
Second team
Xander Oswin-Roe (Black Hawk)
Sacha Cormier (Bryant & Stratton)
Ramon Ponga (Sandburg)
Luis Gutierrez (DuPage)
Gabe Arias (Elgin)
Carter Levesque (Kankakee)
Johan Lopez (Madison)
Dan Fox (Madison)
Jacob Unger (Madison)
Martin Quintero (McHenry County)
Fernando Alvarez (Moraine Valley)
Marcos Talavera (Morton)
Alejandro Sojo (Oakton)
Kurmanbek Madaripov (Oakton)
Dylan Mitchell (Prairie State)
Pharrell Williams (Rock Valley)
Jovanni Ortega (Rock Valley)
Elder Perez (South Suburban)
Enzo Dagatti (Triton)
Gustavo Herrera (Triton)
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