Jefferson's Seiji Rose Named 2017 CACC MSOC Player of the Year; All-Conference Teams Announced
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (October 30, 2017) -- Thomas Jefferson University standout Seiji Rose on Monday was named the 2017 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Men's Soccer Player of the Year, as announced by Commissioner Dan Mara. In addition to being named the conference's top player, Rose also garnered a spot on the All-CACC First Team as a defender. Voting for the 2017 all-conference and major awards is conducted by the league's 13 head coaches in the sport of men's soccer.
In addition to Rose's honor, several other standouts earned major-award status from the CACC including Bloomfield College's Regsan Watkins (2017 Rookie of the Year), Jefferson's Pedro Neto (2017 Defensive Player of the Year), Goldey-Beacom College's Suhail Bismilla (2017 Goalkeeper of the Year) and Ptah Myers (2017 Coach of the Year). Watkins, Neto and Bismilla joined Rose on the All-CACC First Team, as Watkins made it as a forward, Neto as a midfielder and Bismilla in net.
Rose was the standout player for the conference's best team during the season, as he helped guide the Rams to the 2017 CACC Regular Season Championship with a 13-4-1 overall record and a 10-1-1 mark in league play. He was dominant on both ends of the field, as he scored four times and assisted on 10 other goals for 18 points. Defensively, Rose anchored a defensive unit for Jefferson, as it shutout opponents a league-high seven times in conference matches. It marked the second-consecutive year Rose earned a major award from the CACC, as he was named the conference's defensive player of the year in 2016.
Watkins had a sensational debut season for Bloomfield, as he scored 13 goals and added five assists for 31 points. He led the CACC in goals (12) and points (27) in conference matches, while ranking second in both categories in overall games (13 g, 31 p). Four of his 13 goals went as game-winners, which is the third-highest mark in CACC.
Neto was a defensive presence for the Rams this year in helping to lead Jefferson to the league's regular season title. He helped lead Jefferson to seven shutouts in conference play, while also chipping in some offensively with five goals.
Bismilla earned the league's inaugural CACC Goalkeeper-of-the-Year award, as he went 12-4-1 during the regular season with six shutouts and taking part in two others. He posted a .782 save percentage (.833 in CACC matches) and a 1.04 goals against average. His GAA dipped to 0.74 in conference matches, which led the CACC. Bismilla ranked second in the league in wins and third in save percentage. His save percentage in conference matches was the second-best mark among all league goalkeepers.
Myers was named the coach of the year after leading the Rams to a strong regular season, as they captured the conference's regular season crown and the No. 1 seed in this week's CACC Men's Soccer Championship, which begins with the quarterfinals on Monday.
The other major award handed out on Monday was the 2017 CACC Men's Soccer Team Sportsmanship Award, which was given to Nyack College and head coach Keith Davie, as the program demonstrated outstanding character and commitment throughout the regular season, while also earning a spot in CACC tournament as the No. 7 seed.
The list of major award winners and all-conference honorees in men's soccer for 2017 is as follows:
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Seiji Rose (Thomas Jefferson University)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Regsan Watkins (Bloomfield College)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Pedro Neto (Thomas Jefferson University)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
Suhail Bismilla (Goldey-Beacom College)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR
Ptah Myers (Thomas Jefferson University)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Nyack College
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
F Chahin Aghrim (Goldey-Beacom College)
F Lorne Bickley (Wilmington University)
F Finn Reese (Nyack College)
F Regsan Watkins (Bloomfield College)
M Pedro Neto (Thomas Jefferson University)
M Jason Rocha (Thomas Jefferson University)
M Mateus Silvestre (Goldey-Beacom College)
D Declyn Brown (Goldey-Beacom College)
D Matteo Moro (Post University)
D Seiji Rose (Thomas Jefferson University)
GK Suhail Bismilla (Goldey-Beacom College)
2017 CACC MEN’S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
F Nicholas Calabia (Bloomfield College)
F Sergio Diaz (Post University)
F Abdul Mansaray (Wilmington University)
M Francois Legoedec (Nyack College)
M Maxi Ojeda (Felician University)
M Dimitrios Topouzlis (Wilmington University)
D William Baah (Bloomfield College)
D Jonathan Firmino (Georgian Court University)
D Elliot Johnson (Wilmington University)
GK Jaime Gonzalez (Concordia College)
GK Vinny Tasca (Wilmington University)
The 2017 CACC Championship begins Monday with the quarterfinals. Monday's four winners will advance to the CACC semifinals, which will be staged on Friday at Georgian Court University. The two semifinal winners will battle for the CACC crown and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament on Sunday in the championship final at 10 a.m., on the GCU campus. For more information on this week's championship tournament, please CLICK HERE.
ABOUT THE CACC
The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 14 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Concordia (N.Y.) College, Dominican (N.Y.) College, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Thomas Jefferson University, Nyack College, Post University of Waterbury, University of the Sciences, and Wilmington University.