PA West Soccer is happy to announce that Andrew Stefanick and Shevket Dzhaparov have all been named National Match Officials (NMOs) for the 2026 season! This accomplishment is a reflection of their commitment, hard work, continuous learning, and advancement as a referee. Their achievement is a positive reflection not only of each of them, but also of our local referees and the strength of our referee development program. To learn more about the referee pathway, click here: https://www.pawest-soccer.org/referee-pathway/
On behalf of everyone at the PA West Soccer Association, we are incredibly proud to have these individuals representing us on the national stage this year. Please do congratulate these individuals as you see! We look forward to supporting more local referees in advancing through the referee pathway via their hard work and dedication to officiating!
Learn more about our NMOs below:
Andrew enters his 1st year as a National Assistant Referee (AR). Stef came to refereeing in 2019 after calling assignors to share some issues regarding officiating on his GPSL (adult amateur) matches. Keith Renner, the GPSL assignor at the time, encouraged him to grab a whistle and see things from the other side — this sparked an unexpected pathway, creating exponential growth for him as a referee, including high-level U.S. Soccer matches, along with NCAA and high school games. Stef is especially grateful to the many past and present members of the SRC, along with assignors, assessors, mentors, fellow referees, and coaches who truly made this achievement possible. Beyond the touchline, Stef also gives back to the game as the commissioner of both the Over-19 and CoEd Greater Pittsburgh Soccer Leagues under the PA West Adult Soccer Association. And yes — he still plays and respectfully continues to work on improving the quality of refereeing across the league. His advice to anyone who will listen: take the referee course and try it for a year. It’s a flexible and meaningful way to serve the game, and you likely may find yourself loving it as much as you loved playing.
Shevket enters his 1st year as a National Referee. Having relocated to Pittsburgh from Ukraine in 2023, he joined the PA West referee community in 2024. Before his refereeing career, Shev spent his entire life involved in soccer as a player. This transition marked a new chapter in his officiating career, as he began to referee across various levels of soccer throughout western PA. This includes officiating NCAA college soccer across all divisions as well as high school soccer, in addition to assignments in an array of U.S. Soccer competitions to advance through the referee pathway. These experiences assisted him in his development of strong match management skills and a deep understanding of the game to achieve the national level. This includes the experience ans knowledge he gained over the course of his career in Ukraine, as he progressed to the professional level there and officiated as a professional referee prior to his move to the United States. Shevket is grateful for the support of PA West staff, SRC, referees, assignors (especially Keith Renner), mentors, and referee coaches who have all played an important role in his development and integration. Their guidance on and off the field was instrumental in helping him adapt to soccer in the United States. Shev is proud and honored to be able to represent PA West at the national level and give back to the local referee community in the process.