BOSTON – It was another busy week for the conference as six different programs secured victories, highlighted by UMass Lowell, UAlbany and NJIT going unbeaten on the week.
Overall, six of eight #AEMSOC programs own records of .500 or better.
Need to Know:
- UAlbany opened the week with a 2-2 draw at Marist before earning a 1-0 win at CCSU on Sunday.
- UMass Lowell picked up a pair of victories, defeating Merrimack 1-0 on Tuesday before rallying past Manhattan 2-1 on Friday.
- No. 24 Bryant and No. 18 Vermont both suffered their first losses of the season, with the Bulldogs falling 2-1 to No. 11 Princeton and the Catamounts dropping a 3-1 decision at Dartmouth.
- New Hampshire earned a 2-0 win over Harvard, while UMBC picked up a 2-0 victory against Howard
- NJIT played to a 1-1 draw at Brown
Offensive Player of the Week
Justin Godbout-Garon, UMass Lowell – Jr., Forward, Québec City, Canada
- Scored in both of UMass Lowell’s wins last week, including the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Merrimack.
- Added the first goal of the game in the River Hawks’ 2-1 win over Manhattan on Friday.
- Played 116 minutes across the two victories as UMass Lowell improved to 2-0 on the week.
- This is Godbout-Garon's first #AEMSOC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Defensive Player of the Week
Louis Dufraiche, UMass Lowell – Jr., Defender, Pluherlin, France
- Helped UMass Lowell to a 2-0 mark last week
- Recorded an assist on the opening goal against Manhattan before heading in the game-winner in the 90th minute of UMass Lowell’s 2-1 victory.
- Helped the River Hawks secure two wins on the week while contributing at both ends of the field.
- This is Dufraiche's first #AEMSOC Defensive Player of the Week honor.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Aimar Penalver, Bryant – So., Goalkeeper, Pamplona, Spain
- Recorded four saves and a shutout in his lone match of the week, a 3-0 win over Dartmouth.
- Has recorded two shutouts in three games this season.
- This is Penalver's second #AEMSOC Goalkeeper of the Week honor.
Rookie of the Week
Yuta Kimata, UAlbany – Fr., Forward, Tokyo, Japan
- Scored the game-winning goal in UAlbany’s 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut on Sunday.
- Came off the bench and played 34 minutes, recording five shots, including three on goal, in the shutout victory.
- This is Kimata's second #AEMSOC Rookie of the Week honor.
Links
The America East is one of the best men’s soccer conferences in the country and home to the 2024 national champions from Vermont. In 2024, the Catamounts led the nation in RPI and the America East finish fifth as a conference. It marked the league’s second straight top-six finish in RPI. Overall The conference has received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament in five of the past ten seasons. Five different teams have reached the third round of the NCAA tournament since 2014.
2026 #AEMSOC Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 26 – Offensive Player of the Week: David Ismail, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Islam Houssni, Vermont; Goalkeeper of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont, Rookie of the Week: Flynn Holdem, UMBC
Aug. 31 - Offensive Player of the Week: Abdul Kamara, UMBC; Defensive Player of the Week: Santiago de Prado, Bryant; Goalkeeper of the Week: Ramon Camejo, Bryant, Rookie of the Week: Yuta Kimata, UAlbany
Sept. 8 - Offensive Player of the Week: Pieter Bultman, Vermont; Defensive Player of the Week: Almoznino Saar, Binghamton; Goalkeeper of the Week: Ramon Camejo, Bryant, Rookie of the Week: Zain Thompson, NJIT
Sept. 14– Offensive Player of the Week: Fermin Rodriguez, Bryant; Defensive Player of the Week: Reed Cash, New Hampshire; Goalkeeper of the Week: Niklas Herceg, Vermont, Rookie of the Week: Flynn Holdem, UMBC
Sept. 21– Offensive Player of the Week: Justin Godbout-Garon, UMass Lowell; Defensive Player of the Week: Louis Dufraiche, UMass Lowell; Goalkeeper of the Week: Aimar Penalver, Bryant, Rookie of the Week: Yuta Kimata, UAlbany
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.
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 its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -