NEW YORK, N.Y. – The top-seeded Mount Saint Mary College men's soccer team became very decorated on Tuesday, as the Skyline Men's Soccer individual awards and All-Conference Teams were announced. Senior forward
Matt Garcia (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) was named Skyline Men's Soccer Player of the Year, and head coach
Kevin Longacre earned his second Skyline Men's Soccer Coach of the Year award. In addition, five Knights were named to the Skyline Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams.
Garcia is joined by senior midfielder
Chris Marchese (Cold Spring, N.Y.) and senior defender
Steve Ehresman (Whitestone, N.Y.) on the All-Skyline First Team, the first time for both. Junior forward
Michael Ennis (Carmel, N.Y.) made the Second Team for the second year in a row, and he is joined by junior goalkeeper
Austin Peluso (Farmington, Conn.), who is in his first year with the Knights.
Garcia makes the First Team for the second time in two seasons. He earns Player of the Year honors after finishing third in the conference with 24 points and 10 goals. He scored six goals and tallied 14 points in the Knights' nine conference games. In just two seasons, he set the Knights' program career goals record with 27. His clutch side broke through in the Knights' final three games, as Garcia scored two goals to erase a 2-0 deficit against The Sage Colleges on Oct. 21, followed that up with the leading goal against then-ranked No. 10 Amherst College back on Oct. 24, and then scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Yeshiva University on Oct. 26.
Longacre takes home Coach of the Year recognition for the second time in his four years at the helm. This year, the Knights set a program record with eight Skyline wins and won its first-ever Skyline Regular-Season Title. He has accumulated a 42-28-7 record in four seasons as the head coach of the Knights, including a 23-10-3 in conference play, the best four-year stretch since the Knights joined the Skyline Conference in 1994. Most importantly, he coached Knights to their first-ever Skyline Conference Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2013.
Marchese had a breakthrough season in 2014, scoring seven goals after scoring just four in his first three years with the team. He also dished out four assists, while coming into the year with just one. He scored all three goals in the Knights' 3-0 victory over Purchase on Oct. 18. He followed that up with the game-winning goal against Sage on Oct. 21. He also managed to score the opening goal in the Knights' games against Amherst and Yeshiva. He enters the Skyline Conference Championship tournament on a four-game goal scoring streak, over which he has scored six goals.
Ehresman earns a spot on the All-Skyline for the first time in his final season with the Knights. He anchors a back line that is allowing just 1.35 goals and 11.7 shots per game, as well as a shot percentage of .116. His only goal of the season was the game-winner against Sarah Lawrence College back on Oct. 1.
Ennis, last year's Skyline Conference Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Players, repeats as a member of the All-Skyline Second Team. Ennis scored five goals and dished out three assists for a total of 13 points in just 13 games this season. Just like in the 2013 Skyline Conference Championship game, Ennis scored the game-winner against Farmingdale State College on Sept. 20, as the Knights picked up a 3-2 overtime victory.
Peluso earns his way onto the All-Skyline Second Team after a fantastic regular season between the pipes for the Knights. He yielded just 1.28 goals per game and recorded four shutouts on the year. His accomplishments go well beyond his stats, as he has negated scoring opportunities left and right with his ability to find the ball and a strong punch. He has also set up many scoring opportunities for the Knights with a stellar drop kick.
The top seed heading into the Skyline Conference Championships, the Knights next play on Wednesday, Nov. 5, when they host a semifinal matchup at Kaplan Field. They host No. 5 St. Joseph's College (L.I.) in Wednesday's 8 p.m. matchup, immediately following the women's soccer team's semifinal matchup with The Sage Colleges.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
