Men's Soccer | 11/10/2026 2:00:00 PM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2026 Men’s Soccer All-Conference awards on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Graduate student Adam Grover of St. John Fisher was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year. Grover, who missed three games due to injury, tied for the league lead with 10 goals in just 13 contests. He excelled in league play, recording nine goals in 11 contests, including three game-winning tallies to lead all E8 student-athletes. Grover scored a goal in eight of 11 league contests. He is the fourth St. John Fisher student-athlete to earn E8 Offensive Player of the Year.
Junior Charlie Sorensen of SUNY Geneseo was named the 2026 Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year. Sorensen was the leader of a stout Geneseo defense that allowed just eight goals in 11 Empire 8 regular season games, while helping the Knights post three straight shutouts in tournament play to win their second consecutive Empire 8 Championship. The Knights have recorded nine clean sheets, while riding a 10-game winning streak heading into the NCAA Tournament. Sorensen has also added a goal and two assists in 2026. He joins former teammate Joe Vogt (2024) as Empire 8 Defensive Players of the Year from Geneseo.
Feranc Bagi of SUNY Geneseo earned 2026 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year honors. Bagi, a forward, has appeared in 15 games for the Knights in 2026 and has tallied 11 points on five goals and an assist, while helping lead Geneseo to its second straight E8 title. He had four goals and an assist with one game-winning tally in 11 E8 regular season contests. Bagi is Geneseo’s first student-athlete to earn E8 Rookie of the Year accolades.
Zachary Accetta of Utica University was named the E8 Goalkeeper of the Year. Accetta led the Empire 8 with the lowest goals against average (0.69), highest save percentage (.892), and was tied for second in shutouts (6), while playing in 16 games. His .892 save percentage is ranked second in all of Division III. Accetta was even more dominant in league play during the regular season, allowing just six goals in 10 games with five clean sheets, a .915 save percentage and 65 saves. He made a career-high 16 saves in a shutout win over SUNY Brockport on Oct. 10. Accetta is Utica’s first Empire 8 Goalkeeper of the Year since the award was introduced in 2021.
Howlett was named the Doug May Coach of the Year for the second straight season after leading the Knights to their second consecutive Empire 8 Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2026. SUNY Geneseo also won the 2026 E8 Regular Season Championship and earned top seed in the Empire 8 Tournament, while entering the NCAA Tournament with a 15-4-1 overall mark, riding a 10-game winning streak. The Knights went 9-2 in league play, out-scoring opponents, 22-8. He coached seven 2026 All-E8 selections.
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.
SUNY Brockport and SUNY Geneseo had a league-high three first team members apiece, while a pair of Nazareth University and Utica University standouts were honored. Overall, Geneseo had a league-high seven student-athletes earn All-E8 honors, while Brockport and Utica each had five honored. Alfred University, Nazareth, and St. John Fisher University each had four student-athletes garner All-E8 accolades.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2026 Men’s Soccer Tomorrow’s Leaders Team. This team honors a student-athlete who has emerged as a leader not only on the field of play, but in the classroom and in the community. In addition, they “compete with honor and integrity” and have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportsmen.
2026 Empire 8 Men’s Soccer All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Grover, Gr., M, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Charlie Sorenson, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo
Goalkeeper of the Year: Zachary Accetta, Sr., GK, Utica
Rookie of the Year: Feranc Bagi, Fr., F, SUNY Geneseo
Doug May Coach of the Year: Mark Howlett, SUNY Geneseo
Empire 8 First Team
Ryan Mathis, So., F, SUNY Brockport (Fairport, NY/Fairport)
Aidan Lodie, Sr., F, SUNY Geneseo (West Islip, NY/West Islip)
Tyler Warmington, Sr., F, Nazareth (Orchard Park, NY/St. Mary’s)
Khadim Amar, Jr., M, SUNY Brockport (Harlem, NY/Manhattan International)
Devin Chandler, Jr., M, Hartwick (Wylie, TX/Wylie East)
Samuel Burton, So., M, Nazareth (Webster, NY/Webster Schroeder)
Adam Grover, Gr., M, St. John Fisher (Warsaw, NY/Warsaw)
Derek Alexei Rodriguez, So., D, Alfred (Panama Oste, Panama/Colegio San Gabriel)
Parker Warren, So., D, SUNY Brockport (Goshen, NY/Goshen)
Eric Carnes, So., D, SUNY Geneseo (Chappaqua, NY/Horace Greeley)
Charlie Sorenson, Jr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Aquinas)
Joseph Cavallo, Sr., D, Utica (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall)
Zachary Accetta, Sr., GK, Utica (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point)
Empire 8 Second Team
Xavier Bowman, Sr., F, Alfred (Hampstead, MD/Manchester Valley)
James Fay, Jr., F, Houghton (Stony Brook, NY/Stony Brook School)
Joey Weaver, Sr., F, Nazareth (Spencerport, NY/Spencerport)
Carter Cookinham, So., F, Utica (Poland, NY/Poland)
Hamza Kromah, Jr., M, Alfred (Margibi, Liberia/Western Reserve Academy)
Lawrence John Taylor, So., M, Alfred (Bong County, Liberia/Westminster School)
Michael Ruggiero, Sr., M, SUNY Geneseo (Holtsville, NY/Sachem East)
Ali Shabani, Jr., M, SUNY Geneseo (Hilton, NY/Aquinas)
Felix-Assa Loselose, Sr., M, Utica (Syracuse, NY/Nottingham)
Nata Souza, So., M, Houghton (Campo Grande, Brazil/Wesleyan Christian Academy)
JohnPaul Jerome, Jr., M, SUNY Poly (Utica, NY/New Hartford)
Jadin Lyle, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport (Camillus, NY/West Genesee)
Parker Stusek, So., GK, St. John Fisher (Wickliffe, OH/Hawken)
Empire 8 Third Team
Luka Tatanashvili, So., F, Elmira (Kutaisi, Georgia/Monroe Woodbury)
Feranc Bagi, Fr., F, SUNY Geneseo (East Northport, NY/Commack)
Jack Tamburino, Sr., F, St. John Fisher (Rome, NY/Oriskany)
Ryan Irizarry Padilla, Fr., M, Elmira (Yauco, Puerto Rico/Newark)
Owen Burke, Sr., M, SUNY Geneseo (West Sayville, NY/Sayville)
Kayden Zachgo, Sr., M, Hartwick (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley)
Jael Casimir, Sr., M, SUNY Poly (Binghamton, NY/Union-Endicott)
Braeden Arias, Jr., M, Utica (New Milford, CT/New Milford)
Trevor Lagarde, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport (Palm Coast, FL/Monroe Woodburry)
Elijah Bailey, Jr., D, Houghton (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili)
Alexander Kobayashi, So., D, Nazareth (Buellton, CA/Saint Ynez)
Logan Diebold, Jr., D, Russell Sage (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville South)
Jake Endich, Fr., D, St. John Fisher (Buffalo, NY/West Seneca West)
Mateja Milutin, So., GK, Russell Sage (Vojvodina, Serbia/The Kiski School)
Empire 8 Tomorrow’s Leaders
Niko Lampros Mendoza, Jr., D, Alfred (Lake Oswego, OR/Lakeridge)
Trevor Lagarde, Sr., D, SUNY Brockport (Palm Coast, FL/Monroe Woodburry)
Ryan Irizarry Padilla, Fr., M, Elmira (Yauco, Puerto Rico/Newark)
Amir Bonesu, Sr., D, SUNY Geneseo (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia)
Jon Smith, Jr.., F, Hartwick (Bremen, GA/Bremen)
Elijah Bailey, Jr., D, Houghton (Churchville, NY/Churchville-Chili)
Jack Currin Fr., M, Keuka (Le Roy, NY/Le Roy)
Braden Callahan, Sr., M, Nazareth (Lancaster, NY/St. Mary’s)
Andrew Sprenger, So., D, SUNY Poly (Rotterdam, NY/Schalmont)
Jack Wyman, Sr., D, Russell Sage (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union)
Jack Darling, Sr., D, St. John Fisher (Clarendon, PA/Warren Area)
Tyler Mormando, Sr., D, Utica (Wantagh, NY/General Douglas MacArthur)