BOSTON – In a wild Saturday of action, NJIT upended #14 Vermont while UMBC secured a comeback victory and Binghamton also earned a clutch conference win.
In Saturday’s opening game, the Highlanders scored in the 58th minute and then held off a late Vermont surge to secure the victory and move into a tie atop the #AEMSOC standings with a 2-0-1 mark. UMBC is also 2-0-1 in conference play after Taylor Calheira netted the game-winner in the final three minutes of regulation against UMass Lowell. Binghamton earned its first conference win, a 3-1 victory over UAlbany, while Bryant and New Hampshire played to a hard-fought 1-1 draw to conclude the evening.
On Monday morning the NCAA released its third RPI rankings of 2023, which is used to rank teams based on their overall success. The America East was ranked fifth nationally as a conference in RPI behind the Pac-12, ACC, Sun Belt and Big East. The America East currently has five teams in the top-60 of RPI. Vermont leads at 15th, followed by Bryant (28), New Hampshire (29), UMBC (49) and NJIT (53).
Bryant, UMass Lowell and NJIT all play non-conference contests on Tuesday. On Saturday, UMass Lowell travels to UAlbany, with both programs seeking their first conference victory. UVM seeks to rebound from its first loss in over a month when the Catamounts travel to Binghamton and UMBC hosts New Hampshire, who is 0-0-3 in #AEMSOC action. On Sunday, NJIT travels north to face Bryant at 2 p.m.
The preseason poll was announced on August 9
2023 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners – Oct. 9
Offensive Player of the Week
Alek Wroblewski, UMBC – Sr., Forward, Poznan, Poland
- Tallied three goals and added an assist in UMBC's 1-0-1 week.
- Scored twice for the first time in his career and added an assist as UMBC rallied from a 3-0 halftime deficit to earn a 4-4 draw versus Navy.
- Notched the game-tying goal in the 79th minutes as the Retrievers came from behind, defeating UMass Lowell 2-1.
- This is Wroblewski’s first #AEMSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor. He is the fourth different Retriever to earn this award over the past two years.
Defensive Player of the Week
Samuel Reisgys, NJIT – Gr., Goalkeeper, Rimbach, Germany
- Made one save in a shutout of #15 Vermont on Saturday.
- Faced six total shots and one corner kick as NJIT earned its first win over a top-25 team since 2015.
- This is Reisgys’ third career #AEMSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Rookie of the Week
Anthony Randazzo, Binghamton – Fr., Forward, San Jose, Costa Rica
- Finished with one goal in a 1-0 week for Binghamton.
- Tallied the go-ahead goal and eventual game-winner in the 69th minute against UAlbany as Binghamton improved to 1-0-2 in conference play.
- This is Randazzo’s first #AEMSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
2023 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 28 – Offensive Player of the Week: Taylor Calheira, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Talabi Abdel, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Sept. 5 – Offensive Player of the Week: Goncalo Franco, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Owen Jack, Vermont; Rookie of the Week: Daniele Mastroianni, UMass Lowell
Sept. 11 – Offensive Player of the Week: Vicente Valor Martinez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Tiago Dias, UAlbany; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Sept. 18– Offensive Player of the Week: Maximus Barboto, NJIT; Defensive Player of the Week: Javier Soler Gandia, Bryant; Rookie of the Week: Austin Bush, New Hampshire
Sept. 25 – Offensive Player of the Week: Yaniv Bazini, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Jack Root, Binghamton; Rookie of the Week: Nick Lockermann, Vermont
Oct. 2 – Offensive Player of the Week: Vicente Valor Martinez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Joseba Incera, New Hampshire; Co-Rookie of the Week: Sydney Wathuta, Vermont; Co-Rookie of the Week: Sebastian Sunol, NJIT
Oct. 9 - Offensive Player of the Week: Alek Wroblewski, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Samuel Reisgys, NJIT; Rookie of the Week: Anthony Randazzo, Binghamton
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country. The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in four of the past eight seasons, with Vermont and New Hampshire reaching each of the past two years. Overall, four different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014, highlighted by UMBC getting all the way to the College Cup in 2014.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEMSOC contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEGameday Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East men’s soccer news all season long and use #AEMSOC to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
- Building the Complete Student-Athlete –