BOSTON – After finishing tied atop the league standings at the end of the regular season, Vermont and New Hampshire combined to win all six America East Men’s Soccer Awards as announced by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.
The Catamounts and Wildcats each took home three major awards. New Hampshire claimed Striker of the Year (Matthew Goncalves), Goalkeeper of the Year (Erik Lauta) and Rookie of the Year (Max Voigt). Vermont won Midfielder of the Year (Sydney Wathuta), Defender of the Year (Zach Barrett) and Coaching Staff of the Year.
The major award winners were determined in a vote by the league's nine head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
2024 #AEMSOC Major Awards
Striker of the Year
Matthew Goncalves, Gr., New Hampshire
- Leads the league in total points (22) and goals (10).
- Has a league-best four game-winning goals.
- First Wildcat to be named Striker of the Year since 2021.
Midfielder of the Year
Sydney Wathuta, So., Vermont
- Leads the league and ranks third nationally with 11 assists.
- Helped the Catamounts rank first in goals per game (1.94) and scoring margin (1.1).
- First Catamount to ever win Midfielder of the Year and also broke a streak of five straight Wildcats winning the award.
Defender of the Year
Zach Barrett, Gr., Vermont
- Anchored a Catamount defense which gave up a league-low five goals in #AEMSOC action.
- Has one goal and one assist while starting 15 contests.
- Third Catamount to be honored as Defender of the Year and first since Connor Tobin in 2008.
Goalkeeper of the Year
Erik Lauta, Sr., New Hampshire
- Ranks third in the league in GAA (.818) and third in save percentage (.794).
- Holds a 7-3-6 record and has only allowed more than one goal in a game once over the last two months.
- Third Wildcat in the last five years to win Goalkeeper of the Year.
Rookie of the Year
Max Voigt, Fr., New Hampshire
- Appeared in 12 games, starting ten on defense during the regular season.
- Helped team to 7-2-3 record in games where he has appeared, with UNH holding a 20-10 goal differential in those contests.
- Second Wildcat to be selected Rookie of the Year and the first since 2006.
Coaching Staff of the Year:
Vermont
- Helped lead Vermont to a share of the regular season title for the first time since 2019 with a 4-1-2 mark.
- Helped UVM post a league-best a .719 win percentage and 9-2-5 record.
- Led #AEMSOC in goals (31) and scoring margin (+1.1).
- Head Coach Rob Dow is assisted by Brad Cole, Rory Twomey, Brendan Pulley and Mack Walton.
On Nov. 8, 22 players earned All-Conference recognition while 11 were All-Rookie choices and 11 garnered All-Academic recognition. View a complete list of All-Conference, All-Rookie & All-Academic selections.
ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
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