Branco is named to the second team
Northeast-10 Announces All-Conference Teams
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The junior captures his second NE-10 All-Conference accolade as a Skyhawk |
EASTON, Mass. (November 3, 2016) – Stonehill College men's soccer junior forward Adam Branco (Naugatuck, Conn./Naugatuck) has been named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference third team for his second NE-10 accolade as a Skyhawk, the league office announced Thursday.
Branco was the main offensive force for the Skyhawks as he notched eight goals on the season and one assist. In the conference, Branco finished tied for eighth in goals with eight.
The Naugatuck, Conn. native lead the Skyhawks to its first victory of the season in the opening Catholic Cup match as Stonehill defeated Saint Anselm College 4-0. The junior was later named to the Catholic Cup All-Tournament team after Stonehill's 1-0 loss in the championship game. Two of the goals came from Branco, including the game winner. Branco also tied up Stonehill's non-conference matchup against Nyack College sending the two teams into an overtime battle, where the Skyhawks would come up on top 2-1 with a goal in the 92nd minute of the play.
In another non-conference contest against Concordia (N.Y.), the junior forward tallied the first goal of the game on a cross from the right side to Branco, who was inside the six-yard box, putting Stonehill up 1-0 in the third minute of the game. Later in the season, in NE-10 Conference play, Branco tallied his first-career hat trick, which included one tally in the first period, and back-to-back goals in the second assisting Stonehill in a 4-3 victory over the University of New Haven. Branco's last goal of the season cut Stonehill's deficit to four, 5-1 against Southern Connecticut State University.
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Branco tallied his first-career hat trick against in a 4-3 victory over New Haven |
Last season, the junior picked up an All-Conference second team accolade in his 11-goal season. 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.
As a sophomore, Branco 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.
Stonehill finished the season 7-10-0 overall and 5-8-0 in NE-10 Conference play, recording 15 points in the NE-10 standings just shy of making playoffs.
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