SUNYAC Announces 2016 Men's Soccer Conference Awards
CORTLAND, N.Y.- The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has announced its award winners for the 2016 SUNYAC men's soccer season, voted on by the conference coaches. The Huntley Parker Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to Bass Sarr of Buffalo State. The Fred Holloway Defensive Player of the Year was Anthony Passiatore from Oneonta and teammate Witman Hernandez, was named the Rookie of the Year.
Bass Sarr (So.), Huntley Parker Offensive Player of the Year, Buffalo State, New York, NY/JREC
Sarr started in 16 of 17 matches for the Bengals where he tallied 26 points overall (12 goals 2 assists) including five game winning goals with 11 points in conference competition. The sophomore scored over a third of his team's overall goals and led them to a #4 seed going into the SUNYAC tournament. The team fell in the semifinals to the eventual Champions, Cortland, 1-0.
Anthony Passiatore (Sr.), Fred Holloway Defensive Player of the Year, Oneonta, South Setauket, NY/Ward Melville
Passiatore anchored an Oneonta defense that held its opponents to less than one goal per game while helping lead his team to a second place regular-season finish and runner up in the conference tournament. Oneonta (14-6-1) posted eight shutouts in 21 games and is ranked number two in the NCAA Division III East Region. Oneonta was the number two seed in the SUNYAC championship playoffs, beating Fredonia in the semifinals, 4-0. Oneonta eventually lost in the championship game to Cortland, 1-0.
Witman Hernandez (Fr.), Rookie of the Year, Oneonta, Huntington, NY/ Walt Whitman
Hernandez had an outstanding first season of play for Oneonta. The freshman forward was a major contributor for Oneonta, scoring 11 goals in 18 games. with two game winning goals. He added five assists throughout the season to bring his overall point total to 27. Oneonta was seeded second in the SUNYAC playoffs, winning against Fredonia (4-0) in the semifinals but losing 1-0 in the championship to Cortland.
Steve Axtell, Coach of the Year, Cortland
Axtell, with five seasons as coach of Cortland men's soccer, wins his first SUNYAC coach of the year award. He led the Red Dragons to an outstanding 17-2-0 record, including 8-1-0 in conference. This regular season dominance allowed Cortland to secure the first seed in the SUNYAC championship tournament. After a tough 1-0 victory over Buffalo State, Cortland faced Oneonta in the championship game, the only in-conference opponent to beat them in the regular season. Cortland won the game, 1-0, to clinch the school's 18th title overall and first under Coach Axtell. Steve now looks to prepare his team for the NCAA tournament ranked #1 in the region.
2016 SUNYAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams (PDF)
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