NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., December 11, 2017 – Four members of the Monroe College men's soccer team were announced as 2017 All-Americans on Monday, while seven total Mustangs recently received postseason recognition. Gabriel Machado and Pablo Pertusa were both named to the 2017 NJCAA Division I Men's Soccer All-America Team, while Felipe Mendes and George Asomani were both honored as 2017 United Soccer Coaches Junior College Men's Division I All-Americans. In addition, Mendes, Asomani, Svyat Kozak, Carlos Rodriguez and Javier Rodriguezwere all picked to the 2017 United Soccer Coaches Junior College Division I Men's All-East Region Team.
Machado was named to the NJCAA All-America First Team, marking his second All-America selection in as many seasons. He was the Mustangs' top offensive player in 2017, totaling 44 points with a team-high 12 assists to go along with 16 goals, all in just 15 contests. Machado scored a pair of game-winning goals on the season and had two games with three-or-more scores.
Pertusa earns his first selection to the All-America Second Team after recently picking up his first All-Region XV selection. The defenseman had a strong season along with the rest of the back line, as the Mustangs allowed just 11 goals all season. Pertusa also scored a goal in the Mustangs' early-season victory over Community College of Rhode Island.
Mendes was selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team after a strong sophomore season for the midfielder. He totaled six points on two goals and two assists while being a stellar defensive midfielder throughout the year. He started 15 of the 16 games in which he played and finished third on the team with nearly 1,200 minutes on the field this year. Mendes was also picked to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region First Team.
Asomani earned a spot as a United Soccer Coaches Second-Team All-American in addition to being picked to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region First Team. He played in just eight games, but contributed by starting all eight of those contests and scoring a pair of goals.
Kozak was also selected to the All-Region XV Team this season while also being recognized for his academic accolades. He finished the year with a 9-1-1 record and seven shutouts with an .821 save percentage.
Carlos Rodriguez led the Mustangs in scoring this season, finishing with a team-high 18 goals. He added five assists to finish second on the team with 41 total points. He also scored a team-high four game-winning goals this season.
Javier Rodriguez started 16 games this season. He totaled 11 points, good for fourth on the team, with four goals and three assists. Rodriguez picked up one of his four goals in the Mustangs' NJCAA National Championship opening contest, as well as another in the Northeast District Championship Semifinal game.
The Mustangs once again made a run to the NJCAA National Championship Tournament this season. Monroe fell in the pool-play portion of the tournament, dropping the second contest of the week to No. 2-ranked Schoolcraft College. The Mustangs spent the entire season ranked in the Top 5 of the NJCAA Men's Soccer National Rankings.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level as of the fall of 2017.
Source:http://monroecollegemustangs.com/news/2017/12/11/mens-soccer-four-mustangs-named-all-americans-seven-total-pick-up-postseason-awards.aspx?path=msoc
