Stevens Institute of Technology placed five players on the first team and took home the Player of the Year award for the seventh consecutive year as part of the 2014 Empire 8 All Conference Soccer Teams. Ducks’ defender Harrison Kane earned the Player of the Year award, while Utica College forward Bita Gazashvill was named the Rookie of the Year. Alfred University head coach Matt Smith was voted the Doug May Coach of the Year.
Kane, a junior from Tulsa, OK, helped lead the Ducks to the No. 1 seed in the Empire 8 Tournament for the fifth straight year. He started every game defense as the Ducks allowed 10 goals on the year and recorded 12 shutouts. Stevens captured its eighth straight E8 title as Kane was named to the all-tournament team after holding opponents scoreless in both games. The E8 title clinched the Ducks 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a current record of 13-3-2. The Ducks are on a 13-match unbeaten streak and will play Montclair State University in the first round of the NCAA on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 5pm.
Gazashvill quickly adjusted to the collegiate game making 18 appearances and 14 starts. He finished second on the team and sixth in the conference with 14 points (4g, 6a), as he becomes the first Utica player to receive the E8 Rookie of the Year award. His offensive output helped the Pioneers qualify for the E8 Tournament for the third time in the past five years.
Smith has guided the Saxons to a current 9-7-3 record in his first year at the helm. The team last finished above the .500 mark in 2006, which also marked the teams last post-season appearance. In 2014, the team qualified for the E8 tournament as the fourth-seed and played top-seeded Stevens to a 0-0 draw before fall 6-5 in PKs in the semifinal. The Saxons have also been selected to participate in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro/Upstate Tournament. Alfred is seeded seventh and will play at second-seeded Drew on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Smith is the second coach from Alfred to earn the coaching honor, as Ken Hassler won the award in 2001 and 2003.
The coaching award is named after May, who coached RIT from 1980 to 1996 and Nazareth from 1997 to 2003 before passing away in April 2004.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2014 Men’s Soccer Sportsman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
Empire 8 2014 Men’s Soccer All-Conference