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University of Massachusets Athletics
Smith And Merklin Named To United Soccer Coaches All-Region Teams
December 02, 2017 | Men's Soccer
Smith earned the first-team All-Midwest Region nod while Merklin received third-team honors.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts men's soccer freshman Davis Smith was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region First-Team while junior Brandon Merklin joined him on the third-team as announced on Saturday morning. The two became the first all-region selects for UMass since 2010 as the Minutemen finished the season 15-4-3 after becoming the first team since 1991 to win the Atlantic 10 regular season outright to go along with the tournament title.
Smith (Amherst, Mass.) added another honor after leading UMass in three offensive categories with 10 goals, seven assists and 27 points. The freshman forward was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, becoming the first for UMass to win that honor since 1994 as the Minutemen earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. Smith also earned first-team all-league nods and helped guide the Minutemen to an A-10 Tournament Championship by scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win over VCU in the title match. The first-team selection is the first for UMass since Ben Arikian landed on the Mid-Atlantic Region First-Team in 2009.
Merklin (Massapequa, Mass.) was named third-team all-region after anchoring a Minutemen defense that held opponents under a goal per contest this season at 0.97 per game. Merklin earned A-10 All-Tournament Team honors as he and the UMass defense allowed just one goal in three games during the tournament. The junior defender scored a goal in the season opener against Saint Francis before adding assists in league games against La Salle and Fordham.
United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Teams
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.
Smith (Amherst, Mass.) added another honor after leading UMass in three offensive categories with 10 goals, seven assists and 27 points. The freshman forward was named the Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, becoming the first for UMass to win that honor since 1994 as the Minutemen earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008. Smith also earned first-team all-league nods and helped guide the Minutemen to an A-10 Tournament Championship by scoring the game-winning goal in a 3-1 win over VCU in the title match. The first-team selection is the first for UMass since Ben Arikian landed on the Mid-Atlantic Region First-Team in 2009.
Merklin (Massapequa, Mass.) was named third-team all-region after anchoring a Minutemen defense that held opponents under a goal per contest this season at 0.97 per game. Merklin earned A-10 All-Tournament Team honors as he and the UMass defense allowed just one goal in three games during the tournament. The junior defender scored a goal in the season opener against Saint Francis before adding assists in league games against La Salle and Fordham.
United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Teams
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.
Players Mentioned
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