Brock men's soccer head coach Lucio Ianiero was named the OUA Coach of the Year (West) on Thursday.

This is the second time in three years Ianiero has won Coach of the Year award, while forward Jared Agyemang, midfielder Alejandro Puentes and goalkeeper Alex May were each named to the OUA all-star team.

On the women's side, goalkeeper Marilena Spagnolo secured all-star honours.

Ianiero, who also served as interim coach for the women's team, guided the Badgers to a thrilling season where they finished third place in the OUA West with a record of 6-5-3.

"Lucio is really straight up. He's black and white," said assistant coach John DiPasquale. "He deals with each player on their own. He rarely lets himself go in the heat of battle. Looch treats his players with the respect he deserves. He doesn't beat around the bush."

After suiting up for the Badgers and being named an OUA all-star himself in 1992, the Brock bench boss helped a trio of current players earn similar recognition – including one first-team selection – backed by a seventh-ranked offensive output and a spot back in the postseason after missing out in 2018.

Agyemang was named a first-team all star. A Psychology student from Brampton, Agyemang led the OUA in scoring for a majority of the season and ultimately finished second with a total of 13 goals in 14 games.

May, a second-year goalie and Puentes, third-year midfielder, were named second-team all stars.

A Physical Education student from London, May finished fourth in the OUA with 58 saves and Puentes, a Social Sciences student from St. Catharines, gave Brock an edge on the field by controlling possession.

Spagnolo earned OUA women's soccer second team all-star honours. Spagnolo, who hails from St. Catharines, led the OUA in total saves with 97 and finished second with a .933 save percentage. The Applied Health Sciences student was also fourth with a 0.55 goals against average.

DiPasquale, who grew up playing alongside Ianiero, said Ianiero is a family-first coach.

"It had an effect on both of our teams this year," said DiPasquale. "Lucio has the gift of making everyone feel apart of the team."

DiPasquale recalled a story when they were teenagers playing for Canada in 1985 which best exemplified Ianiero's work ethic.

"This was Rocky III stuff," said DiPasquale.

On their way to play in the Youth World Cup in Russia, the Canadian coaches stopped in the United Kingdom to play clubs such as Liverpool, Stoke City and Aston Villa.

In a friendly against Liverpool, the Canadian side kept the game tied 0-0 before Ianiero, a winger, opened the scoring off a cross.

"Lucio scores an absolutely gorgeous goal, but he follows it up with this goofy celebration," said DiPasquale. "Liverpool took exception to that. They didn't like getting scored on by Canadians, but he wasn't taunting them. Lucio was just celebrating. He always had a flare to his game."

One of their defenders smashed him on the next possession, knocking him out of the game with an ankle injury.

"What exemplifies Lucio's toughness is the way he fought back from that injury, and into the starting lineup in Russia after the coaches debated over sending him home," said DiPasquale. "I see a lot of that still in the way he coaches - that quiet intensity. With that quality of a guy at the helm, the soccer program at Brock has a bright future."