Six MSoccer Players Grab NECC Honors, Simmons Named POY
ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Six members of the Mitchell College men's soccer team were recognized by the New England Collegiate Conference on Monday, and senior Zachary Simmons took home the top honor as he was selected NECC Player of the Year.
Simmons was also one of three midfielders named to the all-conference first team. Juniors Frank Williams and Jason Kirby and sophomore Graham Cavanaugh each garnered spots on the all-conference second team while juniors Ramazan Sinani and Jordan Cook earned all-conference honorable mention recognition. All awards were determined by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Simmons becomes the first Mitchell men's soccer player to earn player of the year status in the conference's six-year history. He led the Mariners in scoring with five goals and two assists for 12 points in league play, ranking among the conference leaders in scoring (2nd), goals (T-2nd) and assists (T-3rd). The senior captain recorded a point in five of the seven NECC matches and was one of only two players who scored a pair of game-winning goals in conference play.
Williams and Kirby both made the second team as forwards, and each started all seven conference matches while recording two goals and an assist. Williams netted game-winning goals against Daniel Webster College and Southern Vermont College while Kirby notched a winner against Lesley University.
Cook and Cavanaugh started every NECC match and anchored a defensive back line that allowed the fewest goals in conference play. Sinani posted the most wins of any goalkeeper in league play and also ranked among the leaders in goals against average (0.84), save percentage (.870) and shutouts (3).
Simmons, Williams and Sinani were all repeat selections. Both Simmons and Williams were second team picks last season while Sinani was an honorable mention selection.
Mitchell (7-11-0 overall) went 5-2-0 in NECC play and finished in a three-way tie for first place in the regular season standings. The Mariners qualified for the 2013 NECC Men's Soccer Championship as the third seed but lost 2-0 in the first round to Daniel Webster on October 30.
2013 NECC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year
Zachary Simmons, Mitchell (Sr, M - Coventry, Conn.)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Nathan Trucks, Lesley (Sr, GK - Guilford, Conn.)
Rookie of the Year
Erik Johansen, Lesley (Fr, F - West Harrison, N.Y.)
Coach of the Year
Andrew Lafrenz, Newbury
Team Sportsmanship
Becker College
First Team All-Conference
Ethan Forrest, Newbury (Fr, F - East Bridgewater, Mass.)
Ziggy Jonathan, Elms (Sr, F - Springfield, Mass.)
Erik Johansen, Lesley (Fr, F - West Harrison, N.Y.)
Adam O'Grady, Elms (Sr, F - Somers, Conn.)
Angel Aguilar, Regis (Mass.) (Sr, M - Silver Springs, Md.)
Safa Saady, Elms (So, M - Baghdad, Iraq)
Zachary Simmons, Mitchell (Sr, M - Coventry, Conn.)
Connor O'Grady, Elms (So, D - Somers, Conn.)
Pierre Massena, Southern Vt. (Sr, D - West Milford, N.J.)
Nick Tavares, Regis (Mass.) (Sr, D - Bellingham, Mass.)
Nathan Trucks, Lesley (Sr, GK - Guilford, Conn.)
Second Team All-Conference
Erick Germano, Daniel Webster (Fr, F - Lowell, Mass.)
Jason Kirby, Mitchell (Jr, F - Cresskill, N.J.)
Rodriquez Pierre, Newbury (Jr, F - Somerville, Mass.)
Frank Williams, Mitchell (Jr, F - Bradford, R.I.)
Bryan Barrios, Newbury (Sr, M - Central Falls, R.I.)
Ian Hutchinson, Daniel Webster (Fr, M - Litchfield, N.H.)
Skylar Ripley, Lesley (Fr, M - Yuba City, Calif.)
Herbin Berreondo, Lesley (Jr, D - Brighton, Mass.)
Graham Cavanaugh, Mitchell (So, D - Redding, Conn.)
Makenzie Lukas, Lesley (Sr, D - Reno, Nev.)
Stefan Todorovic, Regis (Mass.) (Sr, GK - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Honorable Mention
Erik Argueta, Southern Vt. (Jr, M - Pico Rivera, Calif.)
Ricardo Argueta, Regis (Mass.) (Sr, M - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Alex Caliendo, Regis (Mass.) (Sr, D - Windsor, Conn.)
Jordan Cook, Mitchell (Jr, D - Groton, Conn.)
Tim MacDonald, Becker (Sr, G - Holden, Mass.)
Ramazan Sinani, Mitchell (Jr, G - Waterbury, Conn.)