Men's Soccer 11/6/2026 10:00:00 AM UAlbany Claims Three Major Awards as #AEMSOC All-Conference is Released BOSTON – Following the program’s first regular season title since 2015, UAlbany took home a pair of major awards and had five players named All-Conference as #AEMSOC year-end awards were released on Friday morning. The Great Danes took home three major awards, highlighted by Shawn Tanaka earning Defender of the Year honors. Teammate Yuta Kimata was selected as the Rookie of the Year, while UAlbany was also named the Coaching Staff of the Year. NJIT, which finished in a tie for second, had two award winners. Diogo Robelo was named the Striker of the Year while Maximus Barboto was recognized as the Midfielder of the Year. Vermont’s Niklas Herceg earned his second straight Goalkeeper of the Year honor. The major awards, All-Conference and All-Rookie teams were determined in a vote by the league's head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players. The All-Academic team was voted on by a committee of administrators from the conference’s member institutions. 2026 #AEMSOC Major Award Winners Striker of the Year Diogo Rebelo, NJIT Leads the league in shots (69), points (22) and goals (9) while dishing off five assists. Helped NJIT to its first-ever top-two finish in the league standings and has started 17 games. Second Highlander to be named the Striker of the Year. Midfielder of the Year Maximus Barboto, NJIT Tied for the league lead in assists (7) and tied for fourth in points with 15. Helped NJIT tie for second in the league and lead the league in scoring both overall and in conference play. First NJIT player to be honored as Midfielder of the Year. Defender of the Year Shawn Tanaka, UAlbay Has started all 13 games in which he played, registering one goal and three assists. Anchored a defense which allowed a league low five goals in conference play and just 20 shots on goal in seven conference contests. First Great Dane to be named Defender of the Year and first UAlbany major award winner since 2019. Goalkeeper of the Year Niklas Herceg, Vermont Ranks eighth nationally in save percentage (0.828), 14th nationally in GAA (0.711) and tied for fourth in shutouts with eight. Ranks second among all active goalies in career save percentage (0.22) and third in GAA (0.711). Fourth Catamount to secure Goalkeeper of the Year honors and sixth keeper in league history to win the award back-to-back seasons. Rookie of the Year Yuta Kimata, UAlbany Tied for fourth in the league with 15 points and tied for third with six goals. Tied for 1st in the league with three game-winning goals, with two of those game-winners in 1-0 victories. Second Great Dane to win Rookie and Year and first since 2014. Coaching Staff of the Year UAlbany Won first regular season title since 2015 while winning a league-best five games. Enter #AEMSOC Semifinals on a 27-match unbeaten streak, the longest active streak in the nation. Allowed a league-low five goals in seven conference games, while scoring nine. Head Coach Trevor Gorman is assisted by Elias Ehlin and Luca Watt. Vermont led all teams with six all-conference selections, including four on the first team. UAlbany had three named to the first team and five total all-conference honorees. Bryant had one first-team selection and four on the second-team for five total. NJIT and New Hampshire each had three honorees. Seven different programs had at least one All-Rookie selection, led by UMBC, UAlbany and NJIT with two apiece. UAlbany had a league-high three All-Academic honorees, while Vermont and NJIT had a pair. The 2026 #AEMSOC Championship gets underway with quarterfinal action on Saturday as Bryant welcomes Binghamton and NJIT plays host to New Hampshire. Watch it live on ESPN+ and visit Championship Central live stats links as well as box scores, highlights and recaps following each round in addition to team information, tournament history and more. Follow @AmericaEast on X and Instagram to get the real-time championship updates. 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. - America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -