LINK: GNAC Release
WINTHROP, Mass. – In recognition of their stellar seasons, Albertus Magnus College men's soccer standouts Abdoul Aremu (West Haven, Conn.), Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.), Garfield Robinson (West Haven, Conn.), and Head Coach Pete Hamasian all received special recognition on the 2021 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams.
In his first complete season, Coach Hamasian was named the league's Coach of the Year after leading the Falcons to 10 wins and the four seed in the GNAC Tournament. The last Albertus men's soccer coach to win GNAC Coach of the Year honors was program great Jim Bernardo, who took home the hardware after both the 2010 and 2011 seasons, the former being Hamasian's senior season during his playing days.
For the Falcon players, Aremu, Cortez, and Robinson all made the All-GNAC Third Team. Aremu, a senior forward, earned his second career All-Conference honor, as he was named to the Third Team in 2018. The West Haven, Conn., native was third on the team with 10 points on three goals and four assists. Aremu tallied goals in GNAC wins over Colby-Sawyer College and Regis (Mass.) College.
Cortez collected his first All-GNAC nod after pacing the Falcons with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. The midfielder from Meriden, Conn., tallied two two-goal games in conference wins, scoring both of the Falcons' goals in their 2-1 triumph over the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and tallying twice at Anna Maria College.
Albertus' final All-Conference honoree was Robinson as the Third Team goalie. Robinson tallied a 9-5-1 overall record, picking up seven league victories along the way. He finished the year with 50 saves, a 1.04 goals-against average, a .769 save percentage, and five shutouts. His five shutouts rank in a tie for sixth in the program's single-season record book.
The Falcons also put two players on the GNAC All-Rookie Team, with Arian Bobi (Amity, Conn.) and EJ Gonzalez (Cheshire, Conn.) earning the honor in their first seasons. In 12 appearances in 2021, Bobi finished second on the team with 12 points and four goals while being tied for the team lead with four assists. Bobi scored goals in GNAC wins over Elms College, Anna Maria College, and Lasell University.
Gonzalez was one of just two Falcons to start all 16 games in 2021. The Cheshire, Conn., native helped helm the Albertus defense, which ranked fourth in the GNAC in goals-against average (0.95) and tallied six shutouts.
Rounding out the players recognized by the GNAC was Denis Blandon (Meriden, Conn.), as he was named the Falcons' representative on the 2021 GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Blandon tallied three points on one goal and one assist in 11 games played. The sophomore netted his first collegiate goal in the team's 6-0 victory over Regis.
FIRST TEAM
F – JP Rioux, Johnson & Wales (RI)
F – Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich
F – DeAnte Anderson, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Nick Gutekunst, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M – Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
M – Amerle Nemeye, Norwich
M – Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Cullen Swett, Norwich
B – Nolan Sooy, Johnson & Wales (RI)
B – Colin Grant, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
GK – David Walbridge, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
SECOND TEAM
F – Alec Erskine, Emmanuel (Mass.)
F – Kuma Onyejose, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
F – Austin Ward, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M – Kevin Reilly, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M – Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Kyle Cocciardi, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M – Jackson Fotter, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Ethan Skinner, Emmanuel (Mass.)
B – Chuckie Tenbusch, Johnson & Wales (RI)
B – Diego Roman, Regis (Mass.)
GK – Robert Wagenseller, Norwich
THIRD TEAM
F – Abdoul Aremu, Albertus Magnus
F – Andree Hernandez, Norwich
F – Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M – Kelvin Cortez, Albertus Magnus
M – Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
M – Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
M – Dante Mancini, Norwich
B – Elijah Rodriguez, St. Joseph (Conn.)
B – Noah Elmore, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
B – Michael Wildes, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
GK – Garfield Robinson, Albertus Magnus
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Colin Grant, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR – David Walbridge, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
COACH OF THE YEAR – Peter Hamasian, Albertus Magnus
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Colby-Sawyer College
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Arian Bobi, Albertus Magnus
EJ Gonzalez, Albertus Magnus
Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
Musa Jiana, Elms
Aidan Dwyer, Norwich
Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
Cullen Swett, Norwich
Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Gus Ford, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Denis Blandon , Albertus Magnus
Caleb Wu, Anna Maria
Couper Gunn, Colby-Sawyer
Bryce Antoch, Dean
Tyler Hesselton, Elms
Matthew LaMondia, Emmanuel
Esteban Osorio, Johnson & Wales
Zack Laware, Lasell
Mason Reddington, Norwich
Marcos Rivera, Regis
Chris Antonelli, Rivier
Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Aidan Hickey, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
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The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity, and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
