BOSTON - The 2016 men's soccer season kicked off over the weekend and America East teams picked up where they left off last season with strong play. After combining for a .577 non-conference winning percentage a year ago, the conference's eight men's soccer squads went 6-2-2 on opening weekend, which included a pair of wins over teams that finished among the top 100 RPI teams in the nation last year. Here are the week one award winners:
Player of the Week
Bernard Yeboah, Vermont - Sr., Forward, Worcester, Mass.
- Scored twice in Vermont's 3-2 overtime win over Cal St. Fullerton, an NCAA tournament team in 2015, Friday.
- Tallied goals in the 37th and 62nd minutes to record his second-career multi-goal game.
- This is Yeboah's second-career Player of the Week honor (10/12/15).
- Was also named to College Soccer News' National Team of the Week.
Rookie of the Week
Ivan Abramovic, UMass Lowell - R-Fr., Forward, Zagreb, Croatia
- Tallied six points to help UMass Lowell get off to its first 2-0-0 start in its Division I history.
- Set up the game-winning goal in the River Hawks' 2-1 win over Northeastern Friday.
- Racked up five points on two goals and an assist in a 3-0 win at Monmouth, which was ranked 30th in College Soccer News' preseason poll, Sunday.
Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 29 - Player of the Week: Bernard Yeboah, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Ivan Abramovic, UMass Lowell