BENNINGTON, Vt. – Three Southern Vermont College men's soccer players received All-New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) honors on Monday, with one player being named to each the First and Second Team, and a third receiving an honorable mention.
Junior Pierre Massena (West Milford, N.J.) was named to the All-NECC First Team for the second-consecutive season after helping the Mountaineers make the NECC postseason for the fourth-straight season with five goals and two assists. Four of those goals and one assist came in conference play. SVC head coach Tim Penrod said of his second-time selectee, "I'm very pleased to see Pierre recognized once again as one of the top forward in our conference. Although his numbers weren't where he would have liked him to be, it says a lot that other coaches within the conference still acknowledged his value and ability on the field."
Senior Connor Murray (Litchfield, Conn.) picked up a Second Team all-conference honor with hard-nosed defense, winning a majority of 50/50 balls that came in his vicinity. He also had two goals and three assists on the season, one of each coming against NECC teams. Penrod commented that, "Connor definitely deserved this recognition… Without his leadership on the field, we would not have been back in the post-season this year. I cannot tell you how happy I am that he was honored as an all-conference player in his final season."
2011 NECC Rookie of the Year Erik Argueta (Pico Rivera, Calif.) received an honorable mention after scoring two goals and assisting on six others; both goals and four of his assists were in conference play. "Erik did a fantastic job for us all year," said Penrod. "He was less of a scorer and more of a set up guy for us all season, and he was happy to play in that role."
2012 NECC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams
Player of the Year
Ari Sinanis, Lesley (Sr., F - Guilford, Conn.)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Nigel Leahy, Lesley (Sr, GK - New Paltz, N.Y.)
Rookie of the Year
Gerard Lawler, Elms (Fr, M - Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia)
Coach of the Year
Paul Vasconcelos, Lesley
Team Sportsmanship Award
Lesley University
First Team
F Adam O'Grady Elms (Jr., F - Somers, Conn.)
F Pierre Massena, Southern Vt (Jr., F - West Milford, N.J.)
F Ari Sinanis, Lesley (Sr., F - Guilford, Conn.)
F Steve Tavares, Regis (Sr., F - Bellingham, Mass.)
M J.Jones takano, Lesley (Sr., M - Tokyo, Japan)
M Gerard Lawler, Elms (Fr, M - Langwarrin, Victoria, Australia)
M Shaundize Moosavizadeh, Newbury (Sr., M - Winchester, Mass.)
D Alex Chappell, Newbury (Sr. D - East Haddam, Conn.)
D Elliot Kilgore, Daniel Webster (Sr. D - Milford, N.H.)
D Sean Randall, Lesley (Sr., D - Fremont, Calif.)
GK Nigel Leahy, Lesley (Sr, GK - New Paltz, N.Y.)
Second Team
F Rodriquez Pierre, Newbury (So, F - Somerville, Mass.)
F Milton Ricaurte, Newbury (So, F - Central Falls, R.I.)
F Jordan Santos, Lesley (So, F - Middlebury Conn.)
F Frank Williams, Mitchell (So, F - Westerly, R.I.)
M Angel Aguilar, Regis (Jr., M - Sliver Spring, Md.)
M Darius Koep, Lesley (Sr., M - Pittstown, N.J.)
M Zachary Simmons, Mitchell (Jr., M - Conventry, Conn.)
D Howie Johnson, Mitchell (Sr., D - New London, Conn.)
D Connor Murray, Southern Vt. (Sr., D - Litchfield, Conn.)
D Connor O'Grady, Elms (Fr. D - Somers, Conn.)
GK Stefan Todorovic, Regis (Jr., GK - Los Angeles, Calif.)
Honorable Mention
Erik Argueta, Southern Vt. (So., M - Pico Rivera, Calif)
Andrew Donovan, Daniel Webster (Sr. D - Milford, N.H.)
Anthony Nitri, Elms (So., D - Feeding Hills, Mass.)
Joe Pellegrini, Elms (Fr., D - Somers, Conn.)
Ramazan Sinani, Mitchell (So., GK - Waterbury, Conn.)