Winthrop, Mass. – The Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team placed four players on the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Team as announced by the league office Monday afternoon. The Falcons landed one player on the first team, two on the second team and one on the third team.
Senior back and co-captain Austin Tomin (Hamden, Conn.) was named to the first team, while junior forwards Alex Zapata (Hamden, Conn.) and co-captain Alexis Garcia (West Haven, Conn.) earned second team honors. Junior midfielder Matt Mueller (Cheshire, Conn.) rounded out the list of honorees for Albertus Magnus with third team distinction.
The GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team was also announced on Monday afternoon and sophomore defender Alex Perez (Hamden, Conn.) represented the Falcons on the squad.
Tomin ended his stellar career along the Albertus Magnus backline by earning all-conference accolades for the second time, after being named to the second team last autumn. For the second straight season he started in all 20 games the Falcons played, anchoring a defense that surrendered just over one goal per game and recorded six shutouts. He was also named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team thanks to his fine performance during the team's post-season run. Austin is majoring in biology and is the son of Katrina and Zoran Tomin.
Zapata was a force on the offensive side of the ball for AMC this season, registering 19 or more points for the third consecutive season. He received All-GNAC distinction for the second straight year, after landing on the second team last year as well. Zapata led the Falcons in goals (10), points (24), shots on goal (36) and game-winning goals (4), while tying for the team-lead with four assists. In the GNAC Tournament, he netted the game-winning goals against No. 3 seed Saint Joseph's and second-seeded Mount Ida. As a result, he was also named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Alex is majoring in criminal Justice and is the son of Diego Zapata.
After another strong season on the pitch, Garcia earned Second Team All-GNAC honors for the third year in a row. He stated all 20 games for the Falcons and registered 12 points thanks to four goals and four assists. Earlier in the season, he recorded two assists in a 2-1 victory versus Regis in the team's home opener. Alexis is majoring in sports management and is son of Concepcion Romero and Guillermo Garcia.
Mueller had his strongest campaign as a member of the Falcons this fall and as a result earned league-wide recognition for the first time. In 2015, he scored five goals and added an assist for 11 points. Arguably his strongest games of the season came in a 2-0 win at home versus Rivier, as he netted both of the team's tallies. In the post-season, Mueller scored goals in road wins versus the Monks and the Mustangs. Following the GNAC Championship, he was named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team. Matt is the son of Jackie and Eric Mueller.
Perez was a mainstay on the Falcon backline this year, starting all 20 games. For the second year in a row, he represented the team on the All-Sportsmanship Team. On the outside, he held defending strikers at bay throughout the season. Alex is the son of Dania and Francisco Perez.
The men's soccer team saw its season to come to an end with a 1-0 setback at Johnson & Wales in the GNAC Championship last weekend. The Falcons ended the year with an 11-9 overall record.
