Afonso Pinheiro Earns Program's First America East Men's Soccer Rookie of the Year Nod
AMERICA EAST AWARDS | TOURNAMENT BRACKET | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. – Freshman forward Afonso Pinheiro highlighted conference awards for University at Albany men's soccer on Friday afternoon. The Brazilian was named the league's Co-Rookie of the Year, marking the first time the Great Danes have earned the award since joining the conference in 2001.
Pinheiro has scored six goals to date in his rookie campaign, leading all freshmen in the league and ranking third overall. Most recently, he scored the game-winner to send the Purple & Gold into the postseason in a 1-0 win against Binghamton. The freshman has made 14 starts at forward in 18 games played to date. Pinheiro is the first rookie to lead UAlbany in scoring during the regular season in Trevor Gorman's tenure, and was named the league's Rookie of the Week twice.
In addition to his Co-Rookie of the Year honors, Pinheiro was a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie team and earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team. The freshman shares the Rookie of the Year honor with UMass Lowell goalkeeper Austin Kroll. Pinheiro is the first Great Dane to win a major America East award since 2008.
Senior defender Dominic McGarr joined Pinheiro on the All-Conference Second Team. McGarr is the UAlbany all-time leader in career minutes (7,164), starts (76) and games played. He was an America East All-Tournament selection last season, and also garnered All-Academic Team recognition. The senior currently posts a 3.42 GPA with a concentration in business administration.
For the second-straight season, Phil Denara was named to the All-Academic Team with a 3.89 GPA as an accounting major.
With regular season awards complete, the Great Danes will kick off the America East Tournament hosting No. 5 seed Vermont at 11:00 a.m., on Saturday from Bob Ford Field.
UAlbany has won the last two meetings, including this season's league opener in Albany by a score of 2-1. In a physical game from start to finish, Brandon Wilson scored the game-winner in the 85th minute from Philip Persson. Keith Traut netted his first career goal to take the initial 1-0 lead earlier in the half.
The Great Danes and Catamounts are meeting in the America East Quarterfinals for the third time in the last four years, but for the first time in Albany. In 2011, the Purple & Gold defeated Vermont 3-2 as the No. 6 seed, pulling the upset in Burlington. Wilson scored in that contest, complimented by two Vermont own goals. The Purple & Gold is 3-0 overall against Vermont in the postseason.
In a running theme for the UAlbany-Vermont postseason match-up, there was also an own goal in the 2013 quarterfinal game to give UAlbany a 5-0 lead in the 60th minute. Returners McGarr, Wilson, Anthony Rozzano and Philip Persson all tallied points in the 5-1 win in Burlington. The victory on Nov. 9, 2013 was the highest-scoring game for UAlbany since 2008.
The winner of the UAlbany-Vermont match-up on Saturday morning advances to face regular season champion UMBC in Baltimore on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
AMERICA EAST TOURNAMENT
Saturday, Nov. 8:
Quarterfinal 1: No. 4 UAlbany vs. Vermont (Albany, N.Y.), 11:00 a.m.
Quarterfinal 2: No. 3 Binghamton vs. No. 6 Stony Brook (Vestal, N.Y.) 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 12:
Semifinal 1: Winner QF 1 at No. 1 UMBC (Baltimore, Md.), 7:00 p.m.
Semifinal 2: Winner QF 2 at No. 2 Hartford (West Hartford, Conn.), 7:00 p.m.
Final TBA: Nov. 15/16
AMERICA EAST ALL-CONFERENCE
Co-Rookie of the Year
Afonso Pinheiro, Fr., F, Sao Paolo, Brazil
Second Team
Dominic McGarr, Sr., D, Christchurch, New Zealand
Afonso Pinheiro, Fr., F, Sao Paolo, Brazil
All-Rookie Team
Afonso Pinheiro, Fr., F, Sao Paolo, Brazil*
All-Academic Team
Phil Denara, Jr., 3.89, Accounting
Dominic McGarr, Sr., 3.42, Business Administration
*indicates unanimous selection
