QUEENS, N.Y. – The Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team placed six on the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) East All-Region First Team on Tuesday.
Junior Iago Perez (A Coruña, Spain), who was crowned the NE10 Player of the Year and earned a spot on the NE10 All-Conference First Team earlier this month, adds to his list of accolades. Perez, the Oct. 7 NE10 Player of the Week, started 12 of the 15 matches he played in, scoring nine goals and dishing two assists for 20 points. Despite missing the first four contests of the season due to injury, Perez ranked third in the conference in goals and fifth in points. Perez' four game-winning goals were tied for the league lead, while he was also first in goals per game (0.60) and second in points per game (1.33).
Graduate student Liam Evans (Rock Hill, N.Y.), the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and an NE10 First Teamer, was the only member of the team to start all 19 matches. Evans, the five-time NE10 Defensive Player of the Week this season (Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 21, Nov. 11), anchored a back line that ranked second in the NE10 in goals allowed (16), goals-against average (0.83) and shutouts (9).
Senior Preston Neal (Windham, N.H.), the NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year and another NE10 First Teamer, started 17 of the 18 matches he played in, finishing 13-1-3 with eight shutouts. The two-time NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week (Oct. 7, Oct. 14) stopped 59 of the 72 shots he faced over 1564:31 for a 0.75 GAA and .819 save percentage. He ranked second in the league in GAA, save percentage and shutouts. He was 10th, 11th and 13th, nationally, in those respective categories.
Freshman Gabriel Castro (León, Spain), the NE10 Rookie of the Year, and both an NE10 First Team and All-Rookie Team selection, started all 17 matches he played in, notching three goals and five assists for 11 points. He sits seventh in the NE10 in assists.
Sophomore Martin Zapata (Pamplona, Spain) started 16 of the 17 matches he suited up for, registering 28 points on nine goals and 10 assists. The NE10 First Teamer and NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Player led the league lead in points and assists, while tying for third in goals.
Freshman Haroun Conteh (Glendale, Ariz.), who received both an NE10 First Team and All-Rookie Team nod, started all 18 matches he played in. A key cog along the Penmen back line that placed 13th in the country in GAA, he was chosen as the Oct. 14 NE10 Rookie of the Week.
The Penmen finished 14-2-3, including 7-0-2 in NE10 play, as the team earned its sixth NE10 regular-season title and the No. 1 seed for the NE10 Championship, before capturing its eighth NE10 title. SNHU received its 24th NCAA Championship berth and the No. 2 seed in Super Region I, but bowed out in the second round when it fell, 7-6, in penalty kicks.
SNHU 2024 D2CCA Men's Soccer East All-Region
First Team
Iago Perez
Liam Evans
Preston Neal
Gabriel Castro
Martin Zapata
Haroun Conteh
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Instagram, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube. You can also sign up to receive text alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams.
