STANDISH, Maine – The 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer postseason accolades have been announced and seven members of the GNAC-Champion Saint Joseph's College side have been honored.
The group is headlined by a pair of major award winners, as third-year Head Coach Adrian Dubois has been selected, by vote of his peers, as the GNAC Coach of the Year, and sophomore Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) is the 2016 GNAC Men's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Year.
Mullen has also garnered First Team All-GNAC honors, along with sophomore forward Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.), sophomore defender Dalton Gaumer (Corona, Calif.), and freshman midfielder JoJo Strobino (Clifton, N.J.). Sophomore midfielder Rory Twomey (South Windsor, Conn.) has earned Second Team accolades and freshman defender Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) has been listed on the Third Team.
The postseason honor is a career-first for all six SJC players.
Adrian Dubois collects his first Coach of the Year honor after leading his Monks to nearly as many victories this season (15) as the previous two combined (16). Under his watch this fall, Saint Joseph's – picked to finish second in the GNAC Preseason Poll – claimed the conference regular season and tournament titles and established new SJC single-season records for wins, unbeaten streak (19), winning streak (10), shutouts (15), consecutive shutouts (8), and winning percentage (.850). En route to punching an NCAA Tournament ticket for the third time since 2009, the Monks outscored conference foes by an 18-1 tally and paced the GNAC in a variety of statistical categories, including goals against average (0.32), shots (447), corner kicks (157), and shutouts.
Blake Mullen is enjoying the best statistical season ever recorded by an SJC keeper, with conference-leading marks in wins (15), shutouts (13), goals against average (0.24), and save percentage (.906). A two-time GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week honoree this season, Mullen ranks among the nation's leaders in goals against average (3rd), save percentage (3rd), and minutes (1838, 7th).
Brett Mattos earns his first All-Conference nod after leading the Monks in points (18) and game-winners (5) with six goals and six assists in 21 starts as a sophomore. A gifted scorer, Mattos has amassed 46 points (19G, 8A) over 40 career contests and could very well make an assault on the SJC record books during his final two collegiate campaigns.
Dalton Gaumer quarterbacked a backline that helped set new program records in virtually every defensive category this fall. The second-year starter stands out for not only his size and strength, but also his composed play in all situations and unmatched field vision. Also a weapon on penalty kicks, Gaumer was called upon to take all three of the Monks' PK attempts this season and converted every one.
JoJo Strobino emerged as one of the top midfielders in the conference as a freshman and tallied two goals and a team-high seven assists for 11 points this fall. The September 18th GNAC Rookie of the Week honoree showed poise and impressive ball skills right out of the gate and continued to improve throughout the season and looks to be a stabilizing force in the midfield for the next three years.
Although he has no stats to show for it, Rory Twomey is perhaps the Monks' most pivotal player. A constant grinder in the heart of the pitch, he almost certainly has more touches per game than any other SJC player and has played nearly every minute in 21 starts this season. Twomey wins the majority of 50-50 balls, rarely turns the ball over, and sets up the offense on a regular basis.
Noah Robinson, a terrific athlete who displayed surprising ability as an offensive threat from the backline, is an important player in both the Monks' present and future. In 21 games – all starts – Robinson tallied three goals and an assist for seven total points and posted the third-highest shot total (44) as a freshman and looks to play a major role in helping the Monks remain in the thick of the GNAC Championship hunt over the next three years.
Saint Joseph's (15-1-5, 8-0-1 GNAC) kicks off NCAA Tournament play Saturday with a contest at Babson College. Start time TBD.
WINTHROP, Mass. – Norwich University senior Jacob Zimmerman has been voted the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, the league office announced on Monday.
The First Team selection finished second among conference leaders in both goals (14) and points (32) for the Cadets, who fell in penalty kicks at Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Saturday's GNAC Championship contest.
Johnson & Wales University senior Xavier Carty was voted the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year by the league's head coaches, as the Wildcats allowed just seven goals in conference-play. Carty also registered six goals and four helpers for 16 points on the season.
Saint Joseph's netminder Blake Mullen was named the 2016 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year, as the First Team selection led the league in save percentage (.906) and goals-against average (0.24) for the GNAC champion Monks, who will head to the NCAA Tournament.
Suffolk University freshman Jarrett Davis earned GNAC Rookie of the Year honors after leading the conference with nine assists for the Rams, who went 6-3 in-conference this fall after posting a 2-6-1 league mark in 2015.
The league champion Monks also saw third-year head coach Adrian Dubois named the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year. The former UNH product led Saint Joseph's to an 8-0-1 GNAC mark and 15-1-5 overall record entering NCAA play. The Monks won nine conference games in 2014 and 2015 combined.
The GNAC's goals and points leader Alberto Bittan was a First Team forward selection, as the Suffolk University senior had 16 goals and 36 points on the year for the Rams. Saint Joseph's sophomore Brett Mattos was also a First Team choice by the head coaches after totaling 18 points on six goals and six assists.
At midfield, Johnson & Wales University freshman Jason Cruz, Norwich junior Colin Lozito, Norwich senior Moab Schiers and Saint Joseph's freshman JoJo Strobino were all First Team picks. Joining Carty as First Team defenders were Albertus Magnus College senior Alexis Garcia-Romero and Saint Joseph's sophomore Dalton Gaumer.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
First Team
F – Jacob Zimmerman, Norwich (Sr., Litchfield, N.H.)
F – Brett Mattos, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Mahopac, N.Y.)
F – Alberto Bittan, Suffolk (Sr., Venezuela)
M – Jason Cruz, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., Providence, R.I.
M – Colin Lozito, Norwich (Jr., Wilmington, Vt.)
M – Moab Schiers, Norwich (Sr., South Weber, Utah)
M – JoJo Strobino, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Clifton, N.J.)
B – Alexis Garcia-Romero, Albertus Magnus (Sr., West Haven, Conn.)
B – Xavier Carty, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., Mt. Vernon, N.Y.)
B – Dalton Gaumer, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Corona, Calif.)
GK – Blake Mullen, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Manchester, Conn.)
Second Team
F – Alex Zapata, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Hamden, Conn.)
F – Colin O'Donnell, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr., Killingworth, Conn.)
F – Juan Brenes, Mount Ida (So., Santo Domingo, D.R.)
M – Matt Mueller, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Cheshire, Conn.)
M – Alex Armstrong, Rivier (Sr., MID - Wakefield, R.I.)
M – Rory Twomey, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., South Windsor, Conn.)
M – Jordan Casey, Suffolk (So., East Hampton, Conn.)
B – Matt Mazzola, Norwich (So., Ridgefield, Conn.)
B – Kyle Gambeski, Rivier (Sr., Bedford, N.H.)
B – Ben Daniels, Suffolk (Sr., Nantucket, Mass.)
GK – Billy Whaley, Norwich (Sr., Northfield, Vt.)
Third Team
F – Justyn Broderick, Albertus Magnus (Jr., Orange, Conn.)
F – Michael Russo, Rivier (Sr., Lynn, Mass.)
F – Christian Restrepo, Suffolk (Fr., Everett, Mass.)
M – Ritchy Jean Pierre, Albertus Magnus (Jr., Fairfield, Conn.)
M – Derrick Casey, Anna Maria (Jr., M - Worcester, Mass.)
M – Travis Cole, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., Beckley, W.Va.)
M – Jarrett Davis, Suffolk (Fr., M - Loudon, N.H.)
B – Ben Colter, Albertus Magnus (Sr., Guilford, Conn.)
B – Robert Hayman, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Tomkins Cove, N.Y.)
B – Noah Robinson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Wappingers Falls, N.Y.)
GK – Jon Robbins, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., Berkley Heights, N.J.)
Offensive Player of the Year – Jacob Zimmerman, Norwich
Defensive Player of the Year – Xavier Carty, Johnson & Wales (RI)
Rookie of the Year – Jarrett Davis, Suffolk
Goalkeeper of the Year – Blake Mullen, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Coach of the Year – Adrian Dubois, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Norwich University
#GOMONKS
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
