LINK: GNAC Release
WINTHROP, Mass. – After making its 23rd consecutive appearance in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament, the Albertus Magnus College men's soccer team had five players named to the All-GNAC Teams, with freshman David Lucero (East Haven, Conn.) named the league's Rookie of the Year.
In addition to Lucero, senior Kelvin Cortez (Meriden, Conn.) and sophomore EJ Gonzalez (Cheshire, Conn.) were both tabbed Second Team All-GNAC. Cortez's All-GNAC honor is his second in as many seasons, while Gonzalez went from the All-Rookie Team in 2021 to the All-Conference squad in one year. In addition, freshmen Eduardo Chavez (Norwalk, Conn.) and Yahya Kardad (Wallingford, Conn.) joined Lucero with All-Rookie Team designations.
Lucero collects today's major award after posting an outstanding debut campaign, as he started 16 games for the Falcons and tallied a 7-4-3 record and 66 saves in 1406:43 minutes. The East Haven, Conn., native ranked third in the GNAC in save percentage (.805), tied for third in shutouts (6), tied for fourth in wins (7), and fifth in goals-against average (1.02). In addition, Lucero dominated the GNAC Rookie of the Week honor, winning the award a league-best three times to go along with two GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week honors.
Cortez earned his second consecutive All-GNAC nod after again leading the Falcons in points (18) and goals (7) after starting all 18 contests for AMC. The product of Meriden, Conn., hit the ground running, scoring five goals in his first seven matches, helping guide AMC to a pair of league wins over that stretch. Cortez racked up three game-winning goals in league play against Rivier University, Colby-Sawyer College, and Elms College.
Gonzalez also played his way onto the Second Team after a stellar second season on the Falcons' backline. Gonzalez joined Cortez as the only two Albertus players to start all 18 matches. The sophomore from Cheshire, Conn., helped the AMC defense rank sixth in the league with a 1.26 goals-against average. He also helped guide the Falcons to seven shutouts, six in GNAC play.
Chavez took his spot on the All-Rookie Team after appearing in 17 contests with 16 starts on the Falcons' defense as a freshman. The Norwalk, Conn., native tallied one goal on the season, scoring on the road against GNAC foe Elms. He was a crucial part of the Albertus defense during all seven shutouts.
The final AMC player to receive All-Conference recognition was Kardad on the All-Rookie Team. Kardad finished second on the Falcons in both points (14) and goals (6) in his 18 appearances. The highlight of the rookie forward's season came on Homecoming Weekend when he netted his first career hat trick against Anna Maria College to lead the Falcons to a convincing 5-1 home victory. He also scored goals against league opponents such as Johnson & Wales (RI) University and Regis (Mass.) College.
In addition to Albertus' All-Conference honoree, freshman midfielder Geoffrey Medeiros (Monroe, Conn.) represented the Falcons on the All-Sportsmanship Team. Medeiros made two appearances as a rookie midfielder, playing in AMC's 5-1 Homecoming win over Anna Maria.
FIRST TEAM
GK - Mike Sheridan, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
F - Daniel Faynstein, Lasell
F - Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich
F - Austin Ward, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M - Alec Erskine, Emmanuel (Mass.)
M - Brian Miller, Johnson & Wales (RI)
M - Mamadi Jiana, Norwich
M - Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
D - Jonathan Baker, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D - Aidan Dwyer, Norwich
D - Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
SECOND TEAM
GK - Robert Wagenseller, Norwich
F - Amerle Nemeye, Norwich
F - DeAnte Anderson, St. Joseph (Conn.)
F - Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)
M - Kelvin Cortez, Albertus Magnus
M - Hezekiah Adeyeye, Anna Maria
M - Kyle Cocciardi, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M - Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
D - EJ Gonzalez, Albertus Magnus
D - Nolan Sooy, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D - Will Wood, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
THIRD TEAM
GK - Vincent Conelli, Emmanuel (Mass.)
F - Joey Soucy, Emmanuel (Mass.)
F - Benjamin Marchetti, St. Joseph (Conn.)
F - Gus Ford, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
M - Jadon Baros, Colby-Sawyer
M - Callum Buchanan, Colby-Sawyer
M - Oleksandr Kharchuk, Norwich
M - Noel Rios, Norwich
D - Cole Berry, Emmanuel (Mass.)
D - Alexander Pane, Johnson & Wales (RI)
D - Cullen Swett, Norwich
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Eduardo Chavez, Albertus Magnus
David Lucero, Albertus Magnus
Yahya Kardad, Albertus Magnus
Yener Bartolon, Colby-Sawyer
Melvin Alves, Dean
Brian Allen, Dean
Noah Jaques, Elms
Oleksandr Kharchuk, Norwich
Sidney Hartmann, Rivier
Ethan Emata, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Henry Wylde, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich (unanimous)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR - Mike Sheridan, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - David Lucero, Albertus Magnus
COACH OF THE YEAR - Jared Lewis, Lasell
TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD - Rivier
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Geoffrey Medeiros, Albertus Magnus
Mark Cavallaro, Anna Maria
Joshua Warner, Colby-Sawyer
Angel Rivera, Dean
Ethan Sgarlata, Elms
Jonathan Marmolejos, Emmanuel
Jonathan Baker, Johnson & Wales
Jonathan Martinez, Lasell
Mason Reddington, Norwich
Nick Cardenas, Regis
Max Hartmann, Rivier
Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.)
Mardoche Kikobo, Saint Joseph's Maine
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Founded in 1995, 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. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
