STANDISH, ME - The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason honors have been announced and Saint Joseph's College, the 2011 GNAC Men's Soccer Champion, is well represented.
Five Monks have garnered All-GNAC accolades, with forward Zach Johnson '14 (Westbrook, Maine) and midfielder Teddy Palmer '13 (Scarborough, Maine) headlining the group as First Team selections. Senior midfielder Mike Sanfilippo (Walpole, Mass.), a Third Team choice as a sophomore, is a Second Team honoree this fall while backs Jack LaFreniere '13 (Alton, N.H.) and Dan McIntyre '14 (Sparta, N.J.) have received mention as Third Team recipients.
Johnson leads the Monks in goals (17), points (38), game-winners (8), shots (71) and shots on goal (39) this fall and broke the SJC single-season goals record with a bicycle-kick tally in the GNAC Championship game on Saturday.
Palmer has proven to be one of the best center-mids in the conference and has contributed offensively with a goal and two assists this fall.
Sanfilippo, a two-year captain and four-year starter, nets his second All-Conference nod after tallying eight goals and four assists for 20 total points during his senior campaign. He currently ranks second on the team in goals and points.
LaFreniere, a Third Team selection last year as a forward, moved to the backline this fall where he joined McIntyre to help form one of the most formidable defenses in the conference. Both players have also produced offensively when called upon as LaFreniere has tallied a goal and two helpers and McIntyre enters the NCAA Tournament with a goal and an assist to his credit.
With the conference crown, Saint Joseph's (14-5-0, 7-3-0 GNAC) earns the NCAA Tournament qualifier afforded to the GNAC champion and will face Trinity College (10-5-2, 6-2-2 NESCAC) in the opening round on Saturday at Babson College. Kickoff is slated for 1:30 PM.
