Men's Soccer | 11/13/2019 9:49:52 AM
ROCHESTER, NY – Empire 8 Champion Nazareth College had six student-athletes earn first team accolades, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2019 Men’s Soccer All-Conference awards on Wednesday, November 13. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Nazareth junior midfielder Jake Adams was named the 2019 Empire 8 Player of the Year, while Alfred University first-year standout forward Justin Eaton earned Rookie of the Year honors. Matt Tantalo of Nazareth was named the Doug May Coach of the Year.
Adams led Nazareth to its first Empire 8 Championship in 13 years in 2019. He currently has 11 goals and 25 points in 16 games this season. Five of 11 goals are game-winning tallies, which leads the league. He scored five goals in six league games, including game-winning markers versus Utica, Houghton and Elmira. In addition, the Golden Flyers have out-scored opponents, 49-13 this season. He was also a first team selection in 2018.
Eaton leads all Empire 8 players in scoring with 13 goals and 27 points this season. He recorded four multiple-goal games during the year and tallied four goals in league play. On Nov. 2, he scored in the final minutes of regulation to lift Alfred to a 1-0 win over St. John Fisher that clinched a postseason berth. Eaton and the Saxons won their first Empire 8 postseason contest in program history, advancing the league championship game.
Tantalo was named the Doug May Coach of the Year after leading the Golden Flyers to an unbeaten regular season in league play and the 2019 Empire 8 Championship. It was the Golden Flyers’ first E8 title since 2006. Nazareth enters the 2019 NCAA Tournament with a 14-2-3 overall record and is riding a 13-game unbeaten streak (10-0-3). Tantalo played for May at former Empire 8 institution RIT in the mid 1990s and later served as an assistant coach under him at Nazareth in the early 2000s. It is Tantalo’s second Coach of the Year honor in the last three seasons.
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.
Adams, along with forward Sam Smyth, defenders Justin Pumputis, Connor Mann and Dereck France and goalkeeper Brian Wilkin garnered first team honors for the Golden Flyers. Wilkin earned his third consecutive All-E8 honor after leading the league with 14 wins, a 0.62 goals against average and an .845 save percentage. Wilkin and the Nazareth defense have recorded nine shutouts and allowed just 13 goals in 19 games this season.
Forwards Adam Nichols of Elmira, Troy Amegashie of Hartwick and Adnan Bakalovic of Utica, along with midfielders Zachary Gloskin and Jhonny Theze of Utica were named Empire 8 first team selections. All five student-athletes were among the top-10 on the E8 scoring list in 2019.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2019 Men's Soccer Sportsman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
2019 Empire 8 Men's Soccer Awards
Player of the Year: Jake Adams, Jr., M, Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Justin Eaton, Fr., F, Alfred
Doug May Coach of the Year: Matt Tantalo, Nazareth
Empire 8 First Team
Justin Eaton, Fr., F, Alfred
Adam Nichols, Sr., F, Elmira
Troy Amegashie, Jr., F, Hartwick
Sam Smyth, So., F, Nazareth
Adnan Bakalovic, Gr., F, Utica
Zachary Gloskin, Jr., M, Alfred
Jake Adams, Jr., M, Nazareth
Jhonny Theze, Fr., M, Utica
Justin Pumputis, Jr., D, Nazareth
Connor Mann, Jr., D, Nazareth
Derek France, Sr., D, Nazareth
Brian Wilkin, Sr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team
Saif Alseyofi, Fr., F, Alfred
Ben DiCrasto, Sr., F, Houghton
Jake Zona, F, Hartwick
Kevin Winglosky, So., F, Sage
Jake Meyer, Jr., M, Elmira
Justin Bonetto, So., M, St. John Fisher
Christian Vaalstuen, So., M, Sage ^
Tucker Marvin, Sr., M, Utica
Evan Merkey, Sr., D, Alfred
Giddel Alvarado, So., D, Sage
Patrick Hynes, Jr., D, Utica
Randy Miksch, Jr., GK, Utica
Empire 8 Honorable Mention
Brennan Brown, So., F, St. John Fisher
Lutho Mlunguza, Fr., F, Elmira
Donovan Sewell, Fr., F, Elmira
Junior Coulibaly, Jr., M, Elmira
Julius Klohr, Jr., M, Houghton
Zein Mohamed, So., M, Nazareth
Griffin Goodemote, Jr., M, Sage
Mason Sanborn, So., D, Alfred
Dennis Andino, Fr., D, Elmira
Josiah Kratz, Sr., D, Houghton
Shea Lynch, D, St. John Fisher
Aaron Wilkins, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Xavier Townsend, Fr., GK, Elmira
Empire 8 Sportsman of the Year
Andrew Carillo Macias, Fr., M, Alfred
Cameron Sanderson, Jr., M, Elmira
Diego Espinola, So, M, Hartwick
Jeremy Newswanger, Sr., D, Houghton
Francesco Viavattene, Sr., F, Nazareth
Allan Gonzalez, Fr., M, Sage
Aaron Wilkins, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Ethan Thomas, Sr., D/M, Utica