2016 NJAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Team

NJAC Semifinal Preview

PITMAN, N.J. (November 1, 2016) – Seven members of the Rutgers University-Newark men's soccer team were named All-New Jersey Athletic Conference Tuesday, with freshman forward Fabio De Sousa being tabbed the NJAC Rookie of the Year and Head Coach Kevin East earning Coach of the Year honors. Additionally, senior back and tri-captain Dylan Elias was the recipient of the conference's David Logar Leadership Award.
 
The honors come ahead of the team's NJAC Tournament Championship semifinal against Montclair State University slated for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night on Alumni Field.
 
In addition to De Sousa, Elias and Coach East earning major honors from the conference, junior back Arek Szoldrowski joined De Sousa as a first-team All-NJAC honoree, while sophomore midfielder Breno Lustosa, Elias and freshman goalkeeper Andres Medina were all named second-team all-conference. Junior midfielder Carlos Castro and junior back Isaiah Kuris received honorable mention All-NJAC distinction as well.
 
Elias has been fantastic for the Scarlet Raiders throughout his career, and he has been excellent in his final campaign, earning a second-team All-NJAC nod as well as the prestigious Logar Leadership Award which is presented annually to the player who best displays the attributes of leadership and courage. Elias has been a centerpiece of a Rutgers-Newark defense that has allowed the fewest goals in the conference while recording 11 shutouts. The veteran also has scored two goals of his own while assisting on two others.
 
De Sousa – a four-time NJAC Rookie of the Week honoree – was the only conference freshman named first-team All-NJAC. He leads the NJAC and is second nationally in game-winning goals with eight and is second in the league with 13 total markers. His 34 total points rank 24th in the country and second in the conference and his eight assists are good for third in the NJAC. The Long Branch native poured in four of the team's eight conference-only game-winners, and he has at least one point in 70 percent of the team's matches this season.
 
Like Elias – Szoldrowski is a huge cog in the Rutgers-Newark defense and after earning an honorable mention all-conference award in 2015, Szoldrowski is a first-teamer as a junior. An on-field leader, Szoldrowski helped Rutgers-Newark to six shutouts in NJAC games and 11 shutouts overall which is a new Scarlet Raider record, helping his team to nation-wide rankings of 22nd in shutout percentage and 17th in goals against average.
 
Lustosa joined Rutgers-Newark for the 2016 season and has had a major impact for the 18-2-0 Raiders in the middle of the field. Lustosa has made 15 starts and taken the field in 16 matches, scoring one goal and pocketing three assists. His one goal against conference foe New Jersey City University was a game-winner and he had two assists in the team's victory over then-nationally-ranked No. 3 Rowan University. A player who contributes from end-to-end each time out, Lustosa has been a very important addition to the program.
 
The team's final second-team All-NJAC recipient is Medina who has been splendid in goal for Newark as a rookie. He leads the conference and is 31st in the nation in goals-against average (.691) and his .880 save percentage is tops in the NJAC and sixth in all of Division III. The Saint Benedict's Prep product is 16-2-0 in 18 starting nods, pitching seven individual shutouts and 88 total saves in nearly 1,600 minutes in goal. Medina has been named the NJAC's Defensive Player of the Week three-straight times and has four weekly league honors in 2016.

Castro – the 2015 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro/Upstate MVP – has continued to play a big-time role for Rutgers-Newark and has been rock-solid in 2016. He has made 12 starts and appeared in 19-of-20 matches, scoring once and handing out one assist as well. The Belleville native plays a key role in the Raider offense and defense and will be a major piece throughout the postseason.
 
Kuris gets his first all-conference nod as a junior for being another huge part of the Scarlet Raider defense. A consistent and solid performer, Kuris has started 19-of-20 contests, scoring four goals, including a pair of game-winners. He has helped Rutgers-Newark to nine shutouts during its current 12-game winning streak, and is a dynamic option on Scarlet Raider set pieces.
 
The Coach of the Year honor for East is the second of his R-N career after first earning the distinction in 2012. He has guided Rutgers-Newark to the NJAC's regular-season title, and the 18 wins the team enters the 2016 postseason with is already a program record. In his time guiding Scarlet Raider men's soccer, East has 137 wins including an incredible 80 over the last five seasons.
 
The winner of Tuesday night's game between MSU and R-N will play the winner of sixth-seeded The College of New Jersey and second-seeded Rowan University for the conference title Friday night.
 
2016 NEW JERSEY ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Lucas Terci, Montclair State
PAT BALDISERRA MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR:  Mike Olla, Montclair State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Will Sjaastad, Rowan
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR:  James Brett, Rutgers-Camden
DAVID LOGAR LEADERSHIP AWARD:  Dylan Elias, Rutgers-Newark
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:   Fabio De Sousa, Rutgers-Newark
COACH OF THE YEAR:  Kevin East, Rutgers-Newark