Wright Named GNAC Men's Soccer Coach of the Year, Five Blue Jays Earn All-Conference Recognition
WINTHROP, Mass. – Head coach Paul Wright of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Coach of the Year it was announced Wednesday by the league's front office during its unveiling of the year-end awards. Alongside the major awards, five Blue Jays were named to the All-Conference teams. The Coach of the Year accolade is the second major award for the program in its seventh-year history, and the first for Wright. The end of year awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Headlining the all-conference selections were senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead Jamaica) and freshman Landon Coelho (Naugatuck, Conn.), who were both named to the All-GNAC First Team. Junior defender Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.), graduate student midfielder Henry McGarrah V (Hartford, Conn.) and freshman midfielder Mario Milardo (Middletown, Conn.) also received conference recognition, earning a spot on the All-GNAC Second Team. Freshman defender Jaiden Daigle (Rocky Hill, Conn.) rounded out the USJ honorees, being named to the All-GNAC Sportsmanship Team.
Wright was named the GNAC Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Jays to its second conference championship in program history. After being picked to finish fourth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, USJ defied expectations, finishing the regular season as the top-overall seed for the GNAC Playoffs, boasting a record of 11-4-3 in the regular season, including a 10-1-3 mark in conference play. The men's soccer team went on to claim the GNAC title, defeating Regis, Emmanuel and Johnson & Wales in the postseason.
Stephens is a repeat selection on the All-GNAC First Team, after earning the accolade a year ago. The senior forward has been a staple of the USJ attack this season, posting 24 points off 10 goals and five assists. Coelho enjoyed a stellar debut season, anchoring the USJ midfield. Serving primarily as a defensive midfielder, Coelho would contribute towards eight shutouts on the year. The freshman also got involved in the attack, scoring two long-range strikes and dishing out five assists for nine points on the season.
The Blue Jays were also well represented on the All-GNAC Second Team, as McGarrah V, Simpson and Milardo earned selections. McGarrah V paced the USJ offense, leading the team with 33 points off 13 goals and seven assists. His assist tally was the best in the GNAC, while he ranked second in goals and total points. Simpson was a staple of the USJ backline, starting every game at center back for the Blue Jays. The junior guided the team to eight shutouts on the year and also scored one goal and dished out one assist. Milardo also enjoyed an impressive debut season, finishing the year with 14 points off six goals and two assists.
For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
F- Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
F- Dane Stephens, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
F- Conner Elliott, Johnson & Wales
M- Lorenzo Lauria, Albertus Magnus
M- Landon Coelho, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M- Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M- Mpumelelo Maphumulo, Lasell
B- Aidan Bagley, Johnson & Wales
B- Gabriel Paglia, Albertus Magnus
B- Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
GK- Valter Santiago, Anna Maria
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
F- Henry McGarrah V, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
F- Gus Ford, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
F- Ben Rubenstein, Norwich
M- Mario Milardo, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M- Brian Miller, Johnson & Wales
M- Kyle Brocker, Anna Maria
M- Johan Stagnaro, Albertus Magnus
B- Nicholas Simpson, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
B- Cullen Swett, Norwich
B- EJ Gonzalez, Albertus Magnus
GK- David Lucero, Albertus Magnus
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
F- Kaden Lewis, Colby-Sawyer
F- Dane Peterson, Regis
F- Roger Baldwin, Albertus Magnus
M- Joe Anderson, Emmanuel
M- Judson DiMaria, Colby-Sawyer
M- Hunter Lortie, Norwich
M- Thomas Lanzillo, Rivier
B- Nicholas Dipace, Emmanuel
B- Diego Robinson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
B- Rafael Matamoros, Emmanuel
GK- Liam Foley, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
MAJOR AWARDS
Coach of the Year: Paul Wright, USJ
Def. Player of the Year: Aidan Bagley, JWU
Off. Player of the Year: Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
Goalkeeper of the Year: Valter Santiago, Anna Maria
Rookie of the Year: Jacob Beck, Emmanuel
Team Sportsmanship: Dean
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Matheus Pimenta, Albertus Magnus
Iweka Iweka, Anna Maria
Josh Warner, Colby-Sawyer
Chris Tunley, Dean
Jake Grendzinski, Elms
David Gydus, Emmanuel
Mpumelelo Maphumulo, Lasell
Jose Pacheco, Mitchell
Erik Corbin, New England College
Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
Will Comeiro, Regis
Jonathan Rudy, Rivier
Kyle Clairmont, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Jaiden Daigle, University of Saint Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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