EDISON, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference announced its men's soccer All-MAAC Teams and major awards on Monday morning.
Senior
Malcolm Moreno earned a spot on the All-MAAC First Team and was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Sophomore
Mauro Bravo joined Moreno on the first team and freshman
Ignacio Antequera-Sanchez was voted to the MAAC All-Rookie squad.
Bravo and Moreno's distinction mark the 11
th straight season that a Gael has earned All-MAAC First Team honors. With Sanchez being named to the All-Rookie team, the program has now had a postseason accolade given to a student-athlete every year since 2007.
MALCOLM MORENO
Moreno becomes the first Gael to earn the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. In 2003, the award split from Player of the Year to Defensive and Offensive Player of the Year. The Iona defender was also named to the All-MAAC First Team and will earn MAAC All-Academic distinction as well. Moreno adds the aforementioned honors to his résumé after being voted to the All-MAAC Second Team last season.
Moreno has started in 13 of his 14 appearances this season, logging a full game in 11 of those matches. The senior captain has been an integral part of Iona's backline all season and for the majority of his career. This season, he has been a part of three shutouts for the Gaels.
Moreno has also contributed to the potent Maroon & Gold offense this season, registering assists in wins over Vermont and Sacred Heart. Off of the pitch, Moreno was selected as a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award and is on course to earn his third MAAC All-Academic team selection.
MAURO BRAVO
The reigning MAAC Rookie of the Year now adds All-MAAC First Team accolades to his résumé. Bravo finished the regular season as the second-leading goal and point scorer in the conference and led the team in both categories as well. With his most recent point coming on an assist in Iona's 2-1 postseason victory over Rider, the sophomore now has 24 points this season (nine goals, six assists).
Bravo has had two separate stretches of back-to-back-to-back goals in games; he scored in consecutive non-conference matches against Binghamton, Sacred Heart and LIU, all of which were victories. The Madrid, Spain native also scored in a string of league games against Niagara, Quinnipiac and Rider. Bravo has had three games this season with a goal and an assist, including a team-best four points in Iona's home-opening win over Binghamton. His four game-winning goals in 2019 are tied for 18
th most in all of Division I.
NACHO SANCHEZ
Sanchez stepped into a starting role for the Maroon & Gold as a freshman, starting in every single regular season match except for the finale. The defender earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors earlier this season after registering his first collegiate goal in a shutout win over Binghamton. Like Moreno, his counterpart on Iona's backline, Sanchez has helped the Gaels to two shutout victories and a scoreless draw versus Fairfield. The rookie has played a full 90 minutes or more in 13 of his 15 starts.
Sanchez becomes the 17
th Gael to earn a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie Team and his selection marks the second straight season a member of the Maroon & Gold has received the accolade.
ALL-MAAC HONOREES
FIRST TEAM
| Name |
Position |
School |
| Dominic Laws * |
Forward |
Saint Peter's |
| Mauro Bravo |
Forward |
Iona |
| Eamon Whelan |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Allen Gavilanes |
Forward |
Marist |
| Jordan Jowers * |
Midfield |
Saint Peter's |
| Samad Bounthong |
Midfield |
Marist |
| Clement Bourret |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Adrien Awana |
Defense |
Manhattan |
| Sylvain Coco |
Defense |
Rider |
| Malcolm Moreno |
Defense |
Iona |
| Samuel Ilin |
Goalkeeper |
Marist |
* denotes unanimous selection
SECOND TEAM
| Name |
Position |
School |
| Pablo DeCastro |
Forward |
Rider |
| Berti Fourrier |
Forward |
Manhattan |
| Alejandro Riquelme |
Forward |
Siena |
| Romain Daniellou |
Midfield |
Quinnipiac |
| Skylar Conway |
Midfield |
Marist |
| Tom Coulson |
Midfield |
Saint Peter's |
| Jamie Davis |
Midfield |
Saint Peter's |
| Matt McGlinchey |
Midfield |
Fairfield |
| Conor McGlynn |
Midfield |
Siena |
| Conor McCoy |
Defense |
Quinnipiac |
| Huib Achterkamp |
Defense |
Marist |
| Marcus Nordgard |
Defense |
Fairfield |
| Philip Smith |
Defense |
Saint Peter's |
| Emmanuel Kouma |
Defense |
Rider |
| Jared Mazzola |
Goalkeeper |
Quinnipiac |
| Gordon Botterill |
Goalkeeper |
Fairfield |
ALL-ROOKIE
| Name |
Position |
School |
| Tomas Svecula |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Rodrigo Almeida |
Forward |
Niagara |
| Stefan Copetti |
Forward |
Marist |
| Brage Aasen |
Midfield |
Quinnipiac |
| Ben Zakowski |
Midfield |
Monmouth |
| Colman Kim |
Midfield |
Fairfield |
| Henry Weigand * |
Defense |
Quinnipiac |
| Tom Climpson |
Defense |
Saint Peter's |
| Ignacio Antequera-Sanchez |
Defense |
Iona |
| Herman Wulff |
Goalkeeper |
Saint Peter's |
* denotes unanimous selection
MAJOR AWARDS
| Award |
Winner |
School |
| Offensive Player of the Year |
Dominic Laws |
Saint Peter's |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Malcolm Moreno |
Iona |
| Goalkeeper of the Year |
Samuel Ilin |
Marist |
| Rookie of the Year |
Tomas Svecula |
Quinnipiac |
| BSN Sports Coach of the Year |
Julian Richens * |
Saint Peter's |
* denotes unanimous selection
UP NEXT
Iona will face No. 2 seed Quinnipiac on Thursday, November 14 in the 2019 MAAC Championship Semifinals; the start time is still yet to be determined. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ and fans can follow along via live stats.
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