Men's Soccer Grabs Four Major NE-10 Awards, 10 Players Named All-Conference
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. - The Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer program received a total of four Northeast-10 Conference major awards and had a total of 10 players honored as the league released its All-Conference teams Friday afternoon. Graduate student Sean Lambert (Rehoboth, Mass.) repeated as NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year, while senior Richard Kentish (Kingston, Jamaica) was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Ruben Resendes (Fall River, Mass.) was named the Northeast-10 Freshman of the Year, while Marc Hubbard repeated as NE-10 Coach of the Year. Hubbard shared Coach of the Year honors with Assumption's Jeremy Bonomo, who graduated from SNHU in 2002.
Kentish and Lambert, along with seniors Adrian Schippers (Ashby, Mass.) and Marc Goulet (Plainville, Conn.) were named to the All-Conference First Team. Senior Kevin Woods (Alyth, Scotland) and junior Danny Hernandez (Salem, N.H.) were Second Team selections, while junior Mike Adam (Ludlow, Mass.) and sophomore PJ Burnette (Brunswick, Maine) were named to the Third Team. Resendes and Christian Rodriguez (Manchester, N.H.) were named to the All-Rookie Team.
Lambert started all but one game in goal for Southern New Hampshire during the regular season and posted a 0.59 goals against average and .828 save percentage while registering seven shutouts. He currently leads the Northeast-10 and ranks 10th nationally in GAA, while ranking third in the NE-10 in save percentage. Entering the postseason, his 20 career shutouts place him fourth in program history.
Kentish, who was named First Team All-Conference for the second straight year, is the first SNHU player to receive Defensive Player of the Year honors. One of four players to start all 18 games for the Penmen, Kentish anchored a defense that recorded nine shutouts and to date has posted a 0.59 goals against average, good for 10th nationally. The Penmen recorded seven straight shutouts from September 5-September 27, the second longest string in program history, and allowed more than one goal just twice in 18 games.
Resendes played in all 18 games for the Penmen as a midfielder and was in the starting lineup 14 times, totaling a goal and two assists. The Durfee High School product scored his first collegiate goal in a 3-0 win over American International and assisted on the game-winning goal in a victory over Le Moyne. He also added an assist in a 2-0 win over Franklin Pierce.
Schippers, who garnered NE-10 First Team honors for the second straight season, led the Penmen in scoring with 12 goals and three assists despite playing in just 14 of 18 contests during the regular season. A two-time Northeast-10 Player of the Week, Schippers registered seven game-winning goals on the season. He totaled two goals and an assist in wins over Saint Thomas Aquinas and Bentley and also scored twice in a victory over New Haven. Schippers also tallied at least one goal in six of his final seven regular season contests.
Goulet, who joined the Penmen after three seasons at the University of Maine, appeared in 16 contests and was in the starting lineup 14 times, registering two goals and two assists as a midfielder. He scored game-winning goals in road victories at UMass Lowell and Assumption, and also registered a pair of assists in a win at New Haven.
Woods was named to the NE-10 Second Team for the second consecutive season. A midfielder, he played in 16 games with 15 starts and ranked fourth on the team in scoring with three goals and three assists for nine points. Woods finished with a goal and two assists in a road victory at Saint Rose, and also registered goals in wins over Saint Thomas Aquinas and Franklin Pierce.
Hernandez, a forward, started 10 times and appeared in all 18 games for the Penmen, ranking second on the squad in scoring with five goals and six assists for 16 points. He notched a goal and two assists in a win over Bentley that clinched the Northeast-10 regular season title for the Penmen, while also recording a goal and an assist at Saint Rose. Hernandez also recorded the game-winning goal in a home victory over American International.
Adam, who served as a tri-captain along with Kentish and Schippers, started all 18 games and totaled two goals and four assists for 10 points, tying for second on the team in assists. He finished with goals in victories over UMass Lowell and Saint Rose, totaling a goal and an assist against the Golden Knights on the road. Adam also assisted on the game-winning goal in a 1-0 win at Saint Michael's.
Burnette started all 18 games on defense for the Penmen and also registered three goals on the season. He scored the game-winning goal in a 4-1 road win at Saint Rose while also registering goals in wins over Le Moyne and American International. Burnette also helped anchor the SNHU defense that allowed just seven goals in 13 conference contests.
Rodriguez, a product of Manchester Memorial HS, appeared in all 18 games for the Penmen and was in the starting lineup seven times. He totaled two goals and an assist on the season. He scored his first collegiate goal against then-No. 2 Dowling and also registered a goal in a win over Le Moyne, while assisting on the game-winning goal in a win over Merrimack.
Hubbard earned NE-10 Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Penmen to their second straight Northeast-10 regular season title and the top seed in the upcoming NE-10 championship. SNHU posted a 13-3-2 regular season mark, including a 10-1-2 conference record, and had a 14-game unbeaten streak, the program's longest since 2002. The Penmen have been nationally ranked all season, and have been as high as No. 5 in the adidas/NSCAA Division II poll. Over his first two seasons, Hubbard has compiled a 28-6-6 record.
