Ofori Named Men's Soccer GNAC Rookie of the Year, Headlines All-Conference Honorees
WINTHROP, Mass. – Sophomore forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.) of the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's soccer team headlined a flock of seven Blue Jays named to the All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Teams, winning the GNAC Rookie of the Year it was announced Tuesday by the league's front office. The Rookie of the Year accolade is the first for USJ in program history, and the first major award for the program in its six-year history. The seven honorees are also tied for the most in the conference with Saint Joseph's College of Maine.
Joining Ofori in earning all-conference distinction were graduate student midfielder Michael Torres (Hartford, Conn.), senior forward Dane Stephens (Linstead Jamaica), senior midfielder Juan Torres (Hartford, Conn.), graduate student defender Eli Rodriguez (Southington, Conn.) and freshman midfielder Matthew Dima (Oxford, Conn.), the conference unveiled during its year-end awards, which are voted on by the league's head coaches. Sophomore defender Nicholas Simpson (Mansfield, Conn.) joined the Blue Jays honorees, receiving a nod to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Ofori was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year after an incredible debut campaign, leading the Blue Jays with 10 goals, which were the fourth most in the conference, and finishing second in total points 23, which ranked him fifth in the GNAC. In addition to receiving Rookie of the Year, Ofori was named to the All-Conference First Team and the All-Rookie Team.
Joining Ofori on the All-GNAC First Team were Stephens and Michael Torres. Stephens formed a one-two punch up top for USJ with Ofori, tying for the team lead in goals with 10, while finishing sixth in the GNAC in total points with 22. Torres was a force in the heart of the midfield, pacing the team in points (28) and assists (10) while scoring nine goals. The assists were the most in the GNAC, while his point tally was second in the conference.
The Blue Jays were also well represented on the All-GNAC Second Team, as Juan Torres, Dima and Rodriguez earned selections. Torres was a force in the midfield for USJ, finishing the regular season with six assists, good for fourth in the GNAC, while tallying 10 points. Dima enjoyed a stellar freshman season, also receiving a nod to the All-Rookie Team. The attacking midfielder netted six goals and dished out three assists on the season, finishing with 15 points. Rodriguez was a defensive anchor at the center back position for USJ, guiding the defense to six shutouts on the year, the fourth most in the GNAC.
For the complete list of all-conference honorees, major award winners, and all-sportsmanship selections, please see below.
ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
F - Kelvin Cortez, Albertus Magnus
F - Emmanuel Ofori, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
F - Dane Stephens, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M - Aidan Bagley, Johnson & Wales
M - Rion Dos Santos, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M - Rubelsi Moran, Anna Maria
M - Michael Torres, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
B - Jonathan Baker, Johnson & Wales
B - Kam Jorgenson, Norwich
B - Will Wood, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
GK - Liam Foley, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
F - Logan Cassin, New England College
F - Conner Elliott, Johnson & Wales
F - Gus Ford, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M - Hezekiah Adeyeye, Anna Maria
M - Matthew Dima, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
M - Luke Palmer, Dean
M - Juan Torres, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
B - Diego Robinson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
B - Eli Rodriguez, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
B - Cullen Swett, Norwich
GK - David Lucero, Albertus Magnus
ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
F - Reinorf Kusi, Dean
F - Dylan Lucey, Mitchell
F - Mitchell Ward, Rivier
M - Sean Doherty, Dean
M - Alec Kosinski, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
M - Hunter Lortie, Norwich
M - Santiago Sanchez, New England College
B - Chris Antonelli, Rivier
B - Declan Ryan, Albertus Magnus
B - Nolan Sooy, Johnson & Wales
GK - Valter Santiago, Anna Maria
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Cole Bishop, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Kris Bocchio, Albertus Magnus
Matthew Dima, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Diego Fuentes, Norwich
Kaden Lewis, Colby-Sawyer
Divin Mpinga, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Emmanuel Ofori, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Diego Robinson, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Santiago Sanchez, New England College
Guilherme Silva, Emmanuel
Mitchell Ward, Rivier
MAJOR AWARDS
Player of the Year - Aidan Bagley, Johnson & Wales
Defensive Player of the Year - Jonathan Baker, Johnson & Wales
Goalkeeper of the Year - Liam Foley, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Rookie of the Year - Emmanuel Ofori, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Coach of the Year - Joseph Campbell, Dean
Institutional Sportsmanship - Regis
ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Elijah French, Albertus Magnus
Valter Santiago, Anna Maria
Joshua Warner, Colby-Sawyer
Chris Tunley, Dean
Jimmy Maznicki, Elms
David Gydus, Emmanuel
Mikael-Wallace Boahin, Johnson & Wales
Michael Palumbo, Lasell
Flavio Alvarado, Mitchell
Alex Rust, New England College
Kirk Rodgers, Norwich
Stephen Allsopp, Regis
Chris Antonelli, Rivier
Henry Cummings, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Nicholas Simpson, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
About The GNAC
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
FOLLOW
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph Athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays