WINTHROP, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's soccer postseason awards have been announced and GNAC Champion Saint Joseph's College is well represented.
Head Coach Adrian Dubois has been selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year for the second-consecutive season while junior forward Brett Mattos (Mahopac, N.Y.) is the GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, junior defender Dalton Gaumer (Corona, Calif.) is the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, and junior netminder Blake Mullen (Manchester, Conn.) has claimed his second-consecutive GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Mattos, Gaumer and Mullen are joined on the All-GNAC First Team by sophomore midfielder JoJo Strobino (Clifton, N.J.) while senior forward Trevor Lopes (Cumberland, R.I.), junior midfielder Rory Twomey (South Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore defenders Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) and Jackson Taylor (Gorham, Maine) have earned Second Team accolades.
Sophomore forward Mitchell Duncan (Sanford, Maine) rounds out the Monks' nine honorees with a Third Team nod.
Dubois, now in his fourth year at the helm for the Monks, collects his second Coach of the Year award in as many seasons after guiding St. Joe's to an 18-0-1 overall record, including a 9-0-1 mark in GNAC play, and the team's second-consecutive conference title this fall. Under his watch, the Monks have outscored opponents by a collective 65-0 score with 1,730 minutes of shutout play this season and have established a new NCAA Men's Soccer (all levels) record with 19-consecutive shutouts.
In four seasons, Dubois has posted a 49-24-8 (.671) career record, including a stellar 33-2-7 (.943) mark over the last two years, and is the first skipper in program history to earn more multiple Coach of the Year honors.
Mattos, a two-time First Team honoree, becomes the first SJC men's soccer player to claim Offensive Player of the Year acclaim after leading the conference in goals (19), points (48), and game-winners (6) this fall. He collected four GNAC Player of the Week awards during the 2017 campaign and established new program single-season records for goals and points and broke the SJC career records for points (94) during the season. He is currently tied atop the Monks' career leaderboard for goals (38) and game-winners (14).
Gaumer, also a two-time First Team honoree, collects Defensive Player of the Year honors after quarterbacking the top statistical defense in the country this fall. Just the second player in team history to earn top defender acclaim (Assistant Coach Will Pike '10 was the first in 2009), the team tri-captain is a consistent leader who anchors the Monks' top-ranked defense. With an incredible talent for reading the game, making tackles, and winning headers, Gaumer is the heart and soul of the SJC defense and the key reason why the Monks have not conceded a goal.
Mullen claims First Team All-GNAC and Goalkeeper of the Year honors after posting one of the best seasons in goal in the history of collegiate soccer. Having turned away all 42 shots he has faced, Mullen sports an unblemished 0.00 goals against average with a perfect 1.000 save percentage while starting all 19 games and logging 1,596 minutes in net this fall. Among all active NCAA DIII keepers, Mullen is the career leader in goals against average (0.29), ranks second in save percentage (.896), and third in shutouts (26). In the championship win over Norwich, Mullen extended his consecutive shutout minutes streak to 1,595 minutes and 36 seconds, the longest stretch without yielding a goal in the history of NCAA Men's Soccer (all levels).
Strobino collects First Team All-GNAC accolades for the second year in a row after scoring a goal with four assists for six total points while starting all 19 contests this fall. A tough, extraordinary midfielder who attacks and defends consistently with strength and perseverance, Strobino's greatest strength is dominating the midfield defensively.
Lopes, a junior college transfer, is enjoying a breakout season in his second year with the Monks with eight goals and two assists for 18 total points in 16 starts and 19 games overall. He ranks sixth in the GNAC in goals and seventh in game-winning goals (3).
Twomey, a two-time Second Team All-Conference honoree, has played every minute of every game this season as the Monks' central midfielder. With an impressive ability to break up counter attacks, win headers, and do the dirty work needed to be successful, Twomey will not record eye-popping statistics, but he is a major reason why the Monks have not yielded a goal and should certainly be considered as one of the best players in the conference.
Robinson, a Third Team selection as a freshman, garners Second Team All-GNAC honors after scoring three goals – including two-game winners – with one assist for seven total points in 13 games this season. An athletic defender, Robinson has the rare ability to be a dangerous player going forward and has helped create numerous scoring opportunities for his teammates as a result.
Taylor claims his first All-GNAC accolade after dishing out five assists in 18 starts during his sophomore campaign. He has developed into an explosive outside back and is a threat on set pieces and achieves great distance on his throw-ins.
Duncan also earns his first All-Conference nod after scoring seven goals with three winners and six assists for 20 points in 18 games this fall. One of the fastest players on the team, the sophomore midfielder's development as a consistent scoring threat has been a real key for the Monks' vastly improved offense this season.
Saint Joseph's, ranked 19th nationally (D3Soccer.com) and seventh in New England (USC), has earned the GNAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII Tournament and will face Mitchell College in the opening round at Tufts University on Saturday.
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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.
