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University of Massachusets Athletics
Men’s Soccer Announces Team Awards At Annual Banquet
December 07, 2018 | Men's Soccer
Brandon Merklin was tabbed the team’s MVP while Ryan Saul and Yosuke Hanya each earned individual honors.
AMHERST, Mass. – University of Massachusetts men's soccer team announced their team awards at their annual banquet on Friday evening. The Minutemen selected Brandon Merklin as the team's Most Valuable Player, Ryan Saul as the Club Man of the Year and Yosuke Hanya as the Rookie of the Year.
Merklin (Massapequa, N.Y.) earned the MVP honor after dishing out a career-high three assists as a defender for the Minutemen to go along with a goal scored on the road at Boston University. The senior recorded a key assist in a tournament-clinching win on the road at George Washington while helping anchor a UMass defense on the year that held opponents to a 1.24 goals against average. Merklin finished his career ranked third all-time at UMass in minutes played (7,187) and fifth in games started (77) while earning third-team all-region honors as a junior.
Saul (Petersburg, N.J.) started nine games and appeared in 11 matches for the Minutemen while racking up 800 minutes played for the UMass defense. The junior was in the starting lineup for three shutouts, including a home shutout against Clemson in a 0-0 draw before appearing in a 1-0 shutout win on the road at Fordham in a key league matchup. In his three years in Amherst, Saul has compiled 1,601 career minutes of play with seven shots and two on target.
Hanya (Tokyo, Japan) was named the team's Rookie of the Year after dishing out a tied for the team lead in assists with five on his way to earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. The junior ranked fourth on the team in points with seven in his first season in Amherst, picking up an assist in a conference win over George Mason at home. Hanya scored a goal to go along with an assist in a tournament-clinching win on the road at George Washington in the final regular season contest.
UMass finished the year with a 7-8-3 overall mark as the Minutemen qualified for their fourth straight Atlantic 10 Tournament for just the second time in program history.
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.
Merklin (Massapequa, N.Y.) earned the MVP honor after dishing out a career-high three assists as a defender for the Minutemen to go along with a goal scored on the road at Boston University. The senior recorded a key assist in a tournament-clinching win on the road at George Washington while helping anchor a UMass defense on the year that held opponents to a 1.24 goals against average. Merklin finished his career ranked third all-time at UMass in minutes played (7,187) and fifth in games started (77) while earning third-team all-region honors as a junior.
Saul (Petersburg, N.J.) started nine games and appeared in 11 matches for the Minutemen while racking up 800 minutes played for the UMass defense. The junior was in the starting lineup for three shutouts, including a home shutout against Clemson in a 0-0 draw before appearing in a 1-0 shutout win on the road at Fordham in a key league matchup. In his three years in Amherst, Saul has compiled 1,601 career minutes of play with seven shots and two on target.
Hanya (Tokyo, Japan) was named the team's Rookie of the Year after dishing out a tied for the team lead in assists with five on his way to earning Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors. The junior ranked fourth on the team in points with seven in his first season in Amherst, picking up an assist in a conference win over George Mason at home. Hanya scored a goal to go along with an assist in a tournament-clinching win on the road at George Washington in the final regular season contest.
UMass finished the year with a 7-8-3 overall mark as the Minutemen qualified for their fourth straight Atlantic 10 Tournament for just the second time in program history.
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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