STANDISH, ME - The annual Saint Joseph's men's soccer team awards banquet was held at the Sable Oaks Marriott in South Portland on Friday, January 27th. Seven honors were given to a total of six members of the 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship side.
Sophomore forward Zach Johnson (Westbrook, Maine) collected a bevy of awards on the night, as the 2011 First Team All-GNAC honoree garnered the team's Golden Boot - given annually to the team's leading goal scorer, Offensive Player of the Year, and Co-Player of the Year honors.
Johnson, who suited up for GNAC-rival Lasell College as a freshman and played junior hockey in 2010, registered a fine offensive season in his first year at Saint Joseph's. He broke the Monks' single-season records for goals (17) and game-winners (8) and paced the Royal Blue in goals, points (38), shots (74), shots on goal (39), shot percentage (.230), and shots-on-goal percentage (.527) in 2011.
Sophomore forward Ross Suleski (Amesbury, Mass./St. Thomas Aquinas) posted a breakout season and received the team's Silver Boot Award, given to the Monks' leader in assists, after dealing nine helpers last fall. Suleski played in all 20 games, with 18 starts, and tallied three goals and 15 total points for Saint Joseph's.
Sophomore netminder Kenny Grade (Hampton, N.H./St. Thomas Aquinas) earned the Monks' Most Improved Player Award after going 11-5 with five shutouts to go along with a .812 save percentage and a 1.02 goals against average last fall. Grade, who logged just 55 minutes in two appearances between the pipes as a rookie, worked out with New England Revolution keeper Matt Reis over the summer and returned with much-improved skills as a result. He played in 19 games with 18 starts and accumulated 1,594 minutes in net in 2011.
Freshman midfielder Jason Wade (South Hampton, N.H.) was chosen as the Rookie of the Year after playing in 17 games and making 15 starts during his first collegiate campaign. Wade, a rugged and technically-sound player, was a key cog in the Monks' midfield as a freshman and looks to be a difference-maker for the SJC side over the next three seasons.
The 2011 Defensive Player of the Year honor went to sophomore back Dan McIntyre (Sparta, N.J.). A 2011 Third Team All-GNAC honoree, McIntyre - an athletic 6'2 center back - started all 20 games and tallied a goal and an assist for the Royal Blue last fall.
Senior midfielder Mike Sanfilippo (Walpole, Mass.) shares the 2011 Player of the Year honor with Johnson after netting career-highs in goals (8), assists (4), points (20), shots (35), and game-winners (2) in the fall. A two-year team captain and four-year starter, Sanfilippo garnered Second Team All-GNAC mention in 2011.
Saint Joseph's went 14-6 overall and 7-3 in GNAC play en route to capturing the program's second conference crown in three seasons under the watch of third-year Head Coach Steve Babineau. With the GNAC's automatic qualifier the Monks advanced to the NCAA Tournament where the Royal Blue suffered a hard-fought 1-0 defeat at the hands of Trinity College on in a tourney tilt played at Babson College on Saturday, November 12th.
