EDISON, NJ— The Iona University men's soccer team garnered four Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men's soccer major awards as voted on by league coaches on Monday. The 2023 MAAC regular season champion, Gaels were represented with with a league-high eight All-MAAC selections, including five first team honorees.
Graduate student
Camil Azzam Ruiz earned the 2023 MAAC Golden Boot, given to the leagues top offensive player. Junior
Nacho Alfaro Monge was named the 2023 MAAC Golden Glove, the league's top goalkeeping honors. Junior
Tim Timchenko was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach
James Hamilton claimed the 2023 MAAC Coach of the Year honors.
Joining Azzam Ruiz, Alfaro Monge and Timchenko on the All-MAAC First Team is junior
Thiago Cagna and sophomore
Tom Fillaudeau. Senior
Aly Camara, graduate student
Lans Bovenberg and sophomore
Sergio Gonzalez Fernandez represented the Maroon & Gold on the All-MAAC Second Team.
Camil Azzam Ruiz - 2023 MAAC Golden Boot(Offensive Player of the Year)
Azzam Ruiz, a two-time MAAC Second Team selection had a breakout final campaign for the Gaels earning the MAAC Golden Boot, given to the league's best offensive player. He also was the lone unanimous selection to the All-MAAC First team as a forward. The Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain native is the first Offensive Player of the Year for the Gaels since 2015 and seventh overall since 1983.
In 2023, he paced the nation and conference with 2.38 points per game, 1.08 goals per game and 3.15 shots on goal per game. His 14 goals on the year, is tied for the most in the nation this season. His 31 points on the 14 goals and three assists ranks third nationally.
Azzam Ruiz has etched himself in the program's record book, his five made penalty kicks ranks first all-time in program history. He also ranks second all-time with 73 career points and 32 career goals.
Nacho Alfaro Monge - 2023 MAAC Golden Glove(Goalkeeper of the Year)
Alfaro Monge picked up the 2023 Golden Glove honors, given to the All-MAAC first team goalkeeper selection. He is the first Iona goalie to earn the league's top honors. In 2023, he leads the conference with a 1.01 goals against average and has registered 41 saves and two shutouts.Monge ranked tied for second in save percentage, tied for fifth in shutouts, ninth in saves average, and 10th in total saves among MAAC keepers.
The Heredia, Costa Rica native ranks first third all-time in program history with a 1.08 goals against average for his career. His 10 career shut-outs ranks third all-time and 20 career wins ranks sixth in school history.
Tim Timchenko - 2023 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year
The junior center-back followed up his All-MAAC Second Team honor from a season ago with All-MAAC First Team recognition and the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. He is the second Gael to win the league's top defensive honor, with Malcom Moreno earning the billing back in 2019.
Timchenko anchored the Iona defense this season that led the conference and ranked 35th nationally with a .93 goals against average for the regular season. Against league foes, He and the Iona defense surrendered just eight goals through ten games and tallied four shutouts.
James Hamilton - 2023 MAAC Coach of the Year
The eighth-year head coach was voted by his peers as the 2023 MAAC Coach of the Year, earning the honors for the first time. He guided the program to its second ever MAAC Regular Season Championship with a 9-1 conference record. The nine league victories were the most ever in a single season for the Gaels. They became the first MAAC team with nine league wins and 27 points in a season since Saint Peter's in 2019. Iona is in the post season for the sixth time in the last seven years and has won three straight and 10 out of its last 11 matches.
This season, Hamilton's squad has led the MAAC points per game at 5.79, ranking 32nd nationally. The Gaels also rank 20th nationally and lead the league with a 2.00 goals per game average. The team's goal differential of +15 ranks 25th in the country and the team goals against average of .93 ranks 32nd in the nation. He is the third coach from Iona to be chosen as the league's top coach, joining Fernando Barboto (2009) and Bobby Herodes (1995).
Thiago Cagna - All-MAAC First Team (Midfield)
Cagna had a junior breakout campaign for the Maroon & Gold registering three goals and two assists in 13 games. He recorded a career-high five points with two goals and one assist in the Gaels 5-3 win at Rider (October 11). Cagna picked up his second game winning goal of the season in the 1-0 road win at Marist (October 18).
Tom Fillaudeau - All-MAAC First Team (Defense)
The sophomore jumped from an All-MAAC second team selection as a rookie to the league's first team this season. The center-back started all 14 games for the Maroon & Gold this season helping guide the defensive unit to a .93 goals against average for the regular season. Offensively, the Nantes, France native recorded his first career goal this season on a penalty kick in the Gaels 2-1 win at NJIT (September 19).
Aly Camara - All-MAAC Second Team (Forward)
Camara earned the first post season honors of his career representing the Gaels on the All-MAAC Second Team. The forward ranks second on the team and seventh in the conference with 13 points on five goals and three assists in 2023. Camara has been clutch for the Maroon & Gold this season with his five scores this year being game-winning goals. That mark leads the conference and ranks fifth nationally.
Lans Bovenberg - All-MAAC Second Team (Midfield)
Bovenberg joined the Gaels for his graduate year after spending a year out Mount St. Mary's. He made his impact in the midfield, appearing in 14 games with 11 starts. Bovenberg registered assists in a pair of wins against Stony Brook (August 28) and Canisius (October 1).
The sophomore garnered All-MAAC Second Team honors for the second straight season at midfield. He appeared in all 14 games for the Gaels this season. He picked up the game winning goal in a 4-0 shut-out win over Saint Peter's (October 14) with the opening score for the Maroon & Gold.
UP NEXT
The 2023 MAAC Championship semifinal round starts this Thursday, November 9 with the No. 1 Iona hosts No. 4 Manhattan at Mazzella Field. Kick-off for the postseason match is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
