Men's Soccer Places Three on All-Conference Squad


Sophomore Adam Branco Led the Skyhawk attack with 11 goals and four assists on the season.

Branco and Montano named to second team, Doherty selected to All-Rookie team

EASTON, Mass. (November 6, 2015) – Three members of the Stonehill College


Branco

Montano

Doherty

men's soccer team have earned postseason honors from the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10) as selected by the league's 14 head coaches.

Sophomore forward Adam Branco (Naugatuck, Connecticut/Naugatuck) and senior forward Drew Montano (Avon, Connecticut/Avon) were named to the All-NE-10 second team while freshman Patrick Doherty (West Milford, New Jersey/Saint Joseph Regional) was honored with an All-Rookie team selection.

Montano, who led Stonehill in points as a freshman (13), sophomore (six), and junior 19 (T-6th in NE-10), was unseated his senior year by Branco. The sophomore had an outstanding season, posting 26 points on 11 goals and four assists. The 26 points at the end of the regular season were good for second in the conference while his 11 goals put Branco at the top of the NE-10 in that category.

Branco recorded three points in his first game of the season, scoring the second goal of the game and assisting on Stonehill's third tally as the Skyhawks posted a 3-2 victory over Saint Michael's College in the Catholic Cup semifinal. The Naugatuck Connecticut native registered five points over a two match span, assisting the lone goal in a 3-1 defeat to The College of Saint Rose and following up that performance with both goals in a 2-1 victory over Franklin Pierce.

Branco recorded a multi-point game against Bentley University, scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 3-2 setback. Two games later, Branco put the finishing touches on Stonehill's 3-0 win over Saint Michael's, scoring the third goal of the match to secure the win for the Skyhawks.

The sophomore saved his best for last, recording 11 points over the final three games of the season. On October 24th, Branco scored two goals to help Stonehill post a 3-0 win over the University of New Haven, before assisting on the lone goal in a 2-1 loss at Southern Connecticut State. In the last game of the season, Branco netted his first career hat trick in a 6-2 Stonehill victory over Saint Anselm, pushing him to the top of the NE-10 leaderboards in goals during the regular season.

Montano ends his decorated career with Stonehill earning All-NE-10 second team honors for the second consecutive year. Montano wraps up his career at Stonehill on the soccer pitch compiling 22 goals and 16 assists for 60 points in 64 games played, to go along with seven game-winning markers.

The Avon, Connecticut native scored nine goals and dished out four assists this fall, giving him a career high 22 points. Montano and Branco formed the highest scoring duo in the NE-10, combining for 20 goals and eight assists over the year.

Montano opened the season with a goal in Stonehill's first match, a 3-2 victory over Saint Michael's College in the Catholic Cup Semifinals. The senior followed up that performance with consecutive goals in two wins for the Skyhawks, scoring against Daemen College and Roberts Wesleyan College.

Montano's best game of the season came against Saint Michael's the second time around, playing a part in all three of Stonehill's goals, leading the Skyhawks to a 3-0 victory. He opened the scoring in the 18th minute, scoring his fifth goal of the season, and then handed out two assists to seal the win for Stonehill.


Senior Drew Montano ends his Stonehill career with 22 goals and 16 assists.

Montano finished his Stonehill career with a bang, recording nine points over the final three games on four goals and an assist. On October 24th, the senior tallied a goal and an assist in a 3-0 Skyhawk victory over the University of New Haven. He then netted three more goals in the last two games, registering two points against Southern Connecticut State University and potting two goals in a 6-2 win over Saint Anselm.

Since arriving in Easton as a freshman in 2012, Montano has started in 62 out of 64 games that he has appeared in. In the classroom, Montano has been named to the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll on four occasions, and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll once.

Rounding out Stonehill's All-NE-10 performers this fall is Doherty, who was named to the All-Rookie team after starting every game for the Skyhawks at the center back position. The freshman helped lead a defense that held opponents to one goal or less on five occasions, and a defense that posted three shutouts on the season.

Doherty becomes the fifth Skyhawk in head coach Jim Reddish's tenure to earn All-Rookie recognition, joining Montano (2012), Connor O'Brien (Guilderland, New York/Guilderland), Patrick Keogh (Garden City, New York/Garden City) and Adam Colella (Wilmington, Massachusetts/St. John's Prep), who were honored in 2014, 2013 and 2011, respectively.

A 2015 graduate of Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, Doherty played both soccer and basketball. He was a National AP Scholar as a senior and played club soccer with Clarkstown FC.

Stonehill, which opened the season 4-2, finished the fall with a 7-8-2 record overall, including a 4-7-2 clip in Northeast-10 play. The Skyhawks were in the mix for an NE-10 Tournament spot right up until the final week of the regular season.

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