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University of Massachusets Athletics
O’Leary Named Coach Of The Year, Five Minutemen Earn A-10 Honors
November 08, 2017 | Men's Soccer
Head Coach Fran O’Leary was named A-10 Coach of the Year while Davis Smith earned Rookie of the Year honors.
AMHERST, MASS. – University of Massachusetts men's soccer head coach Fran O'Leary was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and Davis Smith was named Rookie of the Year while five Minutemen earned league honors as announced on Wednesday afternoon. Smith earned first-team all-conference honors along with Alex DeSantis to go along with second-team all-conference honorees Konrad Gorich and Brandon Merklin.
O'Leary earned the A-10 Coach of the Year honors after leading UMass to their first regular season conference title since 2008 with a 12-3-3 regular season record that includes a 6-1-1 mark in league play and a program-best 10-1-1 record at Rudd Field. The Minutemen have seen a steady climb during O'Leary's tenure at UMass, qualifying for the A-10 Tournament every season while improving from a 5-13-1 record in his first season in 2015 to a 7-9-3 record this year before claiming the conference title in his third season. The honor marks the first for a UMass head coach since Sam Koch won it for the fourth time in 2008.
Smith picked up the first A-10 Rookie of the Year honor for the Minutemen since 1994 after posting a team-leading nine goals along with five assists for 23 points. The freshman forward also received a first-team all-conference nod while being named to the all-rookie team as he ranks fourth in the league in goals. Smith's assists ranked second on the team this season while he added six goals in league play, including two against both Saint Louis and Duquesne to open the season. Between Sep. 16-Oct. 7, Smith tallied seven goals in six games with 14 points.
DeSantis earned a first-team all-conference nod after providing eight goals and six assists for 22 points as a midfielder for the Minutemen. DeSantis scored four goals in league play this season, recording a goal in three straight games from Oct. 21-Nov. 1. The senior scored four game-winning goals, including the game-winner in the 3-2 road win over Dayton to keep the Minutemen in first-place with two games remaining on the schedule. DeSantis ranks in the top-10 in six career statistical categories at UMass during his four-year career. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, DeSantis was also named to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
Gorich earned the second-team nod after being named to the all-rookie team during his first year on campus last season. The junior midfielder started 16 of 17 games for the Minutemen, pitching in two goals and an assist.
Merklin was named to the second-team as a defender after helping the UMass defense hold their opponents under a goal per game this season at 0.96 per game. The junior scored a goal in the season-opener against Saint Francis before adding assists in league games against La Salle and Fordham. Merklin ranks sixth all-time at UMass in career minutes played with 5,187 through his three seasons.
Jack Fulton joined Smith on the all-rookie team after posting six goals and three assists for 15 points this season. Fulton appeared in 15 matches and started 10, scoring goals in three straight contests from Oct. 11-18 while picking up at least a point in six straight contests to end the regular season.
The Minutemen are back in action on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Fordham in the A-10 Semifinals in Dayton, Ohio.
For complete coverage of the UMass men's soccer team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassMSoccer and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
O'Leary earned the A-10 Coach of the Year honors after leading UMass to their first regular season conference title since 2008 with a 12-3-3 regular season record that includes a 6-1-1 mark in league play and a program-best 10-1-1 record at Rudd Field. The Minutemen have seen a steady climb during O'Leary's tenure at UMass, qualifying for the A-10 Tournament every season while improving from a 5-13-1 record in his first season in 2015 to a 7-9-3 record this year before claiming the conference title in his third season. The honor marks the first for a UMass head coach since Sam Koch won it for the fourth time in 2008.
Smith picked up the first A-10 Rookie of the Year honor for the Minutemen since 1994 after posting a team-leading nine goals along with five assists for 23 points. The freshman forward also received a first-team all-conference nod while being named to the all-rookie team as he ranks fourth in the league in goals. Smith's assists ranked second on the team this season while he added six goals in league play, including two against both Saint Louis and Duquesne to open the season. Between Sep. 16-Oct. 7, Smith tallied seven goals in six games with 14 points.
DeSantis earned a first-team all-conference nod after providing eight goals and six assists for 22 points as a midfielder for the Minutemen. DeSantis scored four goals in league play this season, recording a goal in three straight games from Oct. 21-Nov. 1. The senior scored four game-winning goals, including the game-winner in the 3-2 road win over Dayton to keep the Minutemen in first-place with two games remaining on the schedule. DeSantis ranks in the top-10 in six career statistical categories at UMass during his four-year career. In addition to his accomplishments on the field, DeSantis was also named to the A-10 All-Academic Team.
Gorich earned the second-team nod after being named to the all-rookie team during his first year on campus last season. The junior midfielder started 16 of 17 games for the Minutemen, pitching in two goals and an assist.
Merklin was named to the second-team as a defender after helping the UMass defense hold their opponents under a goal per game this season at 0.96 per game. The junior scored a goal in the season-opener against Saint Francis before adding assists in league games against La Salle and Fordham. Merklin ranks sixth all-time at UMass in career minutes played with 5,187 through his three seasons.
Jack Fulton joined Smith on the all-rookie team after posting six goals and three assists for 15 points this season. Fulton appeared in 15 matches and started 10, scoring goals in three straight contests from Oct. 11-18 while picking up at least a point in six straight contests to end the regular season.
The Minutemen are back in action on Friday at 4:30 p.m. against Fordham in the A-10 Semifinals in Dayton, Ohio.
For complete coverage of the UMass men's soccer team, follow the Minutemen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassMSoccer and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.
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