NO. ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Junior Gabriel Castro (León, Spain), fifth year Alvaro Garcia (Barcelona, Spain) and freshman Dani Bujanda (Pamplona, Spain) claimed major awards for the Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team, as the NE10 league office handed out All-Conference honors Tuesday.
SNHU led the league in total selections (10), First Team honorees (5) and major award winners (3).
Castro was chosen as the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year and also earned a spot on the NE10 All-Conference First Team. Castro is the fifth NE10 Defensive Player of the Year for the Penmen and the first since Liam Evans in 2024. The two-time NE10 Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 14, Oct. 26) has anchored one of the best defensive units in the country. The Penmen back line leads the NE10 in goals allowed (10), goals-against average (0.63) and shutouts (10). Offensively, Castro has also contributed six goals and two assists for 14 points, ranking third on the team in goals and points, while placing 10th in the NE10 in both categories. Castro, who has started all 15 contests he has played in this season, was also an NE10 First Teamer in each of the previous two years, as well as the Rookie of the Year and an All-Rookie Team member in 2024.
Garcia collected NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year honors and joined Castro on the NE10 First Team. He is the fifth individual to be named the NE10 Goalkeeper of the Year for SNHU, which has now seen one of its players capture the honor seven times. Presto Neal was the most recent winner for the Penmen in 2024. The two-time NE10 Goalkeeper of the Week (Sept. 7, Sept. 28) has played in 15 of the 16 Penmen matches this season, starting all of them. Garcia is 10-1-4 with seven shutouts, and has stopped 37 of the 45 shots he has seen over 1267:14, posting a 0.57 GAA and .822 save percentage. He paces the conference in GAA and save percentage, while ranking second in shutouts. Garcia, who earned a Second Team selection a year ago, is sixth in the nation in GAA, 10th in save percentage and 19th in shutouts.
Bujanda gathered NE10 Rookie of the Year honors and carved out a spot on the Second Team. Bujanda is the fifth Penmen to be named the NE10's top rookie and first since Castro in 2024. The freshman has made a huge impact in his first year with the team, starting all 15 matches he has played in, while recording 18 points on five goals and eight assists. The two-time NE10 Rookie of the Week (Sept. 7, Oct. 12) places third in the conference in assists, sixth in points and 12th in goals.
Fifth years Inigo Burusco (Pamplona, Spain), Alejo Caceres (Cordóba, Argentina) and Miguel Gimeno (Pamplona, Spain) rounded out the First Team selections for the Penmen. The team's leading scorer, Burusco ranks second in the NE10 in goals and points, and sixth in assists, as he has racked up 12 goals and five helpers for 29 points. Nationally, he sits 13th in points and 15th in goals. Burusco, who was twice named the NE10 Player of the Week (Aug. 31, Sept. 7) this season, has played in all 16 matches with 15 starts.
Caceres, who was an NE10 Third Team selection in each of the two previous years, has started all 15 matches he has played in, tallying seven points on a goal and five assists. The five helpers are the second most for the Penmen and are tied for sixth in the NE10.
Gimeno has played in all 16 contests for the Penmen, starting 15 of them, and has seven goals for 14 points. The seven strikes place him second on the team behind Burusco and tie him for seventh in the conference.
Senior Alex Pons (Castellón, Spain) and sophomore Gabi Barroso (A Coruña, Spain) joined Bujanda on the Second Team. Pons, the Sept. 28 NE10 Defensive Player of the Week, missed time early, but wound up starting 10 of the 11 matches he played in, including the final nine contests of the regular season. Incredibly, the Penmen posted seven shutouts during those nine matches and allowed just two goals for a 0.22 GAA. Pons, who added a goal and an assist for three points on offense, was a First Team pick last year and a Second Teamer in 2024.
Barroso also missed time early, but started all 13 matches he played in on the back line. Barroso also dished five assists to tie for sixth in the NE10. The Oct. 12 NE10 Defensive Player of the Week was a Third Teamer and All-Rookie choice last season.
Junior Eduard Fandunyan (Manchester, N.H.) was picked for the Third Team. Fandunyan played in 15 matches and cracked the starting 11 for the final 10 contests of the season, registering 10 points on four goals and a pair of assists.
Freshman Vigo Frank (Rijeka, Croatia) received an All-Rookie Team nod after playing in 15 matches and contributing four points on a goal and two assists.
SNHU (11-1-4), ranked sixth in United Soccer Coaches Division II National Poll, went 6-1-2 in league play to capture the NE10 Regular Season Championship, the No. 1 seed and a bye in the first round of the NE10 Championship.
The top-seeded Penmen will play host to fifth-seeded and 24th-ranked Franklin Pierce University in an NE10 Championship semifinal Wednesday, Nov. 4 (7 p.m.) at Ouellette Stadium.
