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University of Massachusets Athletics
Men’s Soccer Announces Team Awards At Annual Banquet
December 06, 2017 | Men's Soccer
The Minutemen recognized four athletes as the Most Valuable Players, Club Man of the Year, and Rookie of the Year.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts men's soccer team announced their team awards at their annual banquet on Tuesday evening. The Minutemen named seniors Alex DeSantis and Bardia Asefnia the Most Valuable Players as voted on by the team while junior Brandon Merklin was named the Club Man of the Year and Davis Smith was named Rookie of the Year.
DeSantis (Belchertown, Mass.) earned the team MVP award after ranking second on the team in goals with nine, assists with six and points with 24. The midfielder earned multiple honors this season as he was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First-Team and all-academic teams in addition to being named CoSIDA Academic All-District and to the ECAC First-Team. During his four-year career at UMass, DeSantis appeared in 74 matches for the Minutemen and finished his career ranked in the top-10 in program history in minutes, assists and game-winning goals.
Asefnia (Raleigh, N.C.) joined DeSantis as a team MVP after playing over 2,000 minutes in goal this season for the Minutemen. The senior goalkeeper posted a 15-4-3 record in goal to go along with 68 saves and six total shutouts, allowing just under a goal per contest with a 0.97 average. Asefnia wrapped up his UMass career with the third-most wins in program history while ranking fourth in games started at keeper, sixth in games played at keeper and sixth in career minutes with 2,719.
Merklin (Massapequa, N.Y.) was tabbed the Club Man of the Year after helping anchor a UMass defense that held opponents under a goal per contest this season. The junior defender earned Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Third-Team for a Minutemen squad that allowed just one goal during three games on their way to an Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
Smith (Amherst, Mass.) earned another Rookie of the Year award to go along with his league honors in the same category as he led the Minutemen in goals with 10, assists with seven and points with 27 during his inaugural year at UMass. The freshman forward became the first league Rookie of the Year for the Minutemen since 1994 and was named first-team all-conference to go along with a first-team all-region award and ECAC Rookie of the Year honors.
UMass finished the season with a 15-4-3 mark, winning both the outright regular season title and the tournament championship, becoming the first team in the Atlantic 10 to do so since Rutgers in 1991. The Minutemen earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making their first appearance since 2008.
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.
DeSantis (Belchertown, Mass.) earned the team MVP award after ranking second on the team in goals with nine, assists with six and points with 24. The midfielder earned multiple honors this season as he was selected to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference First-Team and all-academic teams in addition to being named CoSIDA Academic All-District and to the ECAC First-Team. During his four-year career at UMass, DeSantis appeared in 74 matches for the Minutemen and finished his career ranked in the top-10 in program history in minutes, assists and game-winning goals.
Asefnia (Raleigh, N.C.) joined DeSantis as a team MVP after playing over 2,000 minutes in goal this season for the Minutemen. The senior goalkeeper posted a 15-4-3 record in goal to go along with 68 saves and six total shutouts, allowing just under a goal per contest with a 0.97 average. Asefnia wrapped up his UMass career with the third-most wins in program history while ranking fourth in games started at keeper, sixth in games played at keeper and sixth in career minutes with 2,719.
Merklin (Massapequa, N.Y.) was tabbed the Club Man of the Year after helping anchor a UMass defense that held opponents under a goal per contest this season. The junior defender earned Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors and was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Third-Team for a Minutemen squad that allowed just one goal during three games on their way to an Atlantic 10 Tournament title.
Smith (Amherst, Mass.) earned another Rookie of the Year award to go along with his league honors in the same category as he led the Minutemen in goals with 10, assists with seven and points with 27 during his inaugural year at UMass. The freshman forward became the first league Rookie of the Year for the Minutemen since 1994 and was named first-team all-conference to go along with a first-team all-region award and ECAC Rookie of the Year honors.
UMass finished the season with a 15-4-3 mark, winning both the outright regular season title and the tournament championship, becoming the first team in the Atlantic 10 to do so since Rutgers in 1991. The Minutemen earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making their first appearance since 2008.
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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