PORTLAND, Ore. - The GNAC announced the 2025 Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams on Tuesday afternoon, with Northwest Nazarene placing seven Nighthawks on the three teams.

Derek Johnson led the way, earning First Team honors along with the GNAC Newcomer of the Year accolade. Rylan McPherson received Second Team honors, while Baraka Dayi, Ousman Garba, Caleb Putney, Derek Remen, and Illyés El Yansli were all named Honorable Mention.

Johnson, who came to NNU as a sophomore after playing one season at Bellevue College, burst onto the GNAC scene in a big way in 2025. He led the conference in both assists (7) and shots on goal (24), while also ranking third in points (21) and fourth in goals (7). Johnson registered at least one point in 10 of the 18 games, including four of the final six games. He recorded three or more points four times, notching a goal and an assist in three separate matches along with a brace for four points against Western Washington on Oct. 9.

McPherson was one of the top freshmen in the conference and the most prolific goal-scorer in the GNAC. The Meridian native tallied 11 goals and three assists for 25 points, with both the goals and points marks ranking first in the conference. The 11 goals tied for 14th in the nation and tied for third most among all freshmen in Division II. He was also incredibly efficient on the attack, putting 19 of his 28 total shots on target (67.9%), with 11 of those 19 shots on goal finding the back of the net (57.9%). 
 
Remen was third on the team with 13 points, scoring five goals and adding three assists. Dayi was just behind him with five goals and two assists for 12 points, while Putney was also in double figure points with 10 on three goals and four assists. 

Garba and El Yansli were anchors of NNU's defense that allowed just 11.7 shots per game and tallied three shutouts over the season. Garba also had one assist to his credit.