KANSAS CITY -- Two days after hoisting the national championship trophy with his teammates, Cal State LA's Morten Bjoershol was named the NCAA Division II Player of the Year by the United Soccer Coaches, the organization announced on Monday.

The latest honor is the cherry on top for Bjoershol, who completed an amazing four-year career with the Golden Eagles by helping Cal State LA win its first national championship on Saturday with a 1-0 victory over defending national champion Charleston (W.V.). Fittingly, the championship came via another sensational defensive effort as the Golden Eagles pitched a shutout against one of the best offensive teams in the nation. Cal State LA finished the season with 13 shutouts and didn't allow a goal in Colorado Springs in games against Nova Southeastern and Charleston.

Bjoershol gives Cal State LA a second straight national Player of the Year award. Goalkeeper Alexander Brems was the first after helping the Golden Eagles reach the national championship game in 2019.

"We are very pleased for Morten. He has been a huge part of our success on and off the field," Cal State LA head coach Chris Chamides said. "We will miss his play and his leadership. Few student-athletes accomplish as much in four years as he has. And, he has more success in front of him, which is so exciting. We all salute Morten and wish him well with his next steps in life."

Bjoershol has a long list of career achievements at Cal State LA, most notably being a main contributor to the first national championship in program history.

He became the first three-time All-American in program history earlier this month after earning first-team honors from the United Soccer Coaches for a second straight season. He also earned third-team honors as a sophomore in 2018.

Bjoershol was also named NCAA Division II West Region Player of the Year by the D2 Conference Commissioners Association in voting by the region's sports information directors, becoming the first player in program history to win that award. He earned All-Region honors all four seasons from the United Soccer Coaches, receiving first-team recognition in 2021 and 2019, second-team honors in 2018 and third-team honors in 2017. He earned All-Region honors three times from the D2 CCA, receiving third-team honors in 2018 and first-team honors in 2019 and 2021.

He also claimed back-to-back California Collegiate Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2021 and 2019 and earned all-conference honors all four years he played for the Golden Eagles. He received All-CCAA honorable mention as a freshman in 2017 and earned first-team honors his last three seasons.

A gifted athlete, Bjoershol appeared in 85 games in his Cal State LA career, which is a new program record. He had 84 starts and made a huge impact in the one game when he did not start. Battling injury, he was inserted as a forward in a brilliant move by Chamides at the start of the second overtime in a game at Cal State San Marcos in 2018. Less than two minutes later, Bjoershol scored the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory, keeping the Golden Eagles in the chase for a conference crown.

Bjoershol shared the team lead in goals in 2021 with six, including four game-winners. In his career, Bjoershol had a total of 12 goals.

Even more impressive is Cal State LA's record over the past four seasons with Bjoershol on the roster. The Golden Eagles were 66-11-12 during Bjoershol's career with one national championship, two national championship game appearances, two Super Region 4 championships, two CCAA regular-season championships and three CCAA Tournament titles.

The Golden Eagles completed a sweep of championships in 2021 after claiming the national championship, the Super Region 4 championship, the CCAA regular-season championship and the CCAA Tournament championship.