Center Valley, Pa — Lehigh, the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, received three of the League’s six men’s soccer major awards when the League office announced its postseason honors on Monday.
Loyola, which tied Lehigh for 21 points in the League standings and earned the No. 2 seed, also collected two major awards, while Navy nabbed one. Greyhounds senior Barry Sharifi became the League’s first student-athlete to win a major award three times when he was named the Patriot League Midfielder of the Year for the third straight season.
His teammate, freshman Daniel Osuji, won Loyola’s third Patriot League Rookie of the Year award in the last four years.
Lehigh also kept a streak going as sophomore Josh Luchini won the Mountain Hawks’ third straight Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year award. His teammate, senior Will Smith, was named Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year. Mountain Hawks’ head coach Dean Koski rounded out the major awards being named the Patriot League Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
Navy sophomore Matt Nocita received Defensive Player of the Year award.
Eleven student-athletes were named to the 2019 Patriot League Men’s Soccer First Team, with 13 on the second team and nine on the third team. Of the 33 all-League selections, there are 17 seniors, eight juniors, seven sophomores and one freshman.
The Greyhounds led the way with eight overall all-League selections, followed by Navy with seven and Lehigh with six. Colgate and Lafayette each received three honorees, while Army West Point, Boston University and Bucknell each had two student-athletes receiving All-League recognition.
The major awards and All-Patriot League teams were voted on by the 10 Patriot League men’s soccer head coaches, who could not vote for their student-athletes or themselves.
2019 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year
Josh Luchini, Lehigh, So., F
* Luchini leads the Mountain Hawks and the Patriot League in goals and game-winning goals with 11 and five, respectively.
* Luchini scored a game-high three goals in the team’s 4-2 victory against Boston U on Sept. 28.
* The sophomore was one of the four Lehigh student-athletes to be named to the First-Team All-Patriot League.
* Luchini has been named offensive player of the week four times this season, which is tied in the Patriot League record books with his old teammate Mark Forrest.
2019 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year
Barry Sharifi, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
* Sharifi, who became the first player in Patriot League men’s soccer history to receive a major award in three straight seasons, ended the regular season with six goals and three assists for 15 points.
* Three of the senior’s six goals were game-winners. They came against Princeton (2-0), Lafayette (4-2) and NJIT (4-1).
* Sharifi has been named the midfielder of the week 10 times in his career at Loyola Maryland, with three of those awards in the 2019 season.
2019 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
Matt Nocita, Navy, So., D
* Nocita capped the 2019 regular season with three goals and one assist for seven points in 16 starts.
* The sophomore anchored the defensive line that gave up a League-low eight goals in 16 contests this season—which also ranks fifth in NCAA Division I.
* Nocita helped the Midshipmen post the fourth-most shutouts in the country (10), while they also rank among the top five in save percentage (.846), shutout percentage (.625) and goals-against average (0.49).
2019 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year
Will Smith, Lehigh, Sr., GK
* In 17 games in goal, Smith made 68 saves for a .840 save percentage and posted a 0.73 goals-against average for the Mountain Hawks.
* He ended the regular season with an 11-3-3 record in net with eight shutouts.
* Smith has been named goalkeeper of the week 10 times during his career, which is currently the Patriot League record. He won the honor on three occasions this year.
2019 Patriot League Rookie of the Year
Daniel Osuji, Loyola Maryland, Fr., D
* Osuji netted three goals and recorded one assist in his first year with the Greyhounds.
* He has started 17 of 18 games at center-back, leading a defensive unit which has posted five shutouts and held opponents to one goal or fewer in seven-straight games
* Against Patriot League opponents, Loyola’s defense recorded four clean sheets and held teams to a total of 22 shots on goal in nine games
2019 Patriot League Coach of the Year
Dean Koski, Lehigh
* Koski led the Mountain Hawks to a 6-0-3 record in Patriot League, the tournament’s top seed and a share of the Patriot League regular-season title.
* Koski’s 244 career wins at Lehigh ranks first in program history and Patriot League history, while his 95 Patriot League wins also ranks first.
* This is his fourth coach of the year award, and his first since 2006.
2019 Patriot League Men’s Soccer Major Awards & All-Patriot League Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Josh Luchini, Lehigh, So., F
Midfielder of the Year: Barry Sharifi, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Defensive Player of the Year: Matt Nocita, Navy, So., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Will Smith, Lehigh, Sr., GK
Rookie of the Year: Daniel Osuji, Loyola Maryland, Fr., D
Coach of the Year: Dean Koski, Lehigh
First Team All-Patriot League
Josh Luchini, Lehigh, So., F
Brian Saramago, Loyola Maryland, Sr., F
Josh Fawole, Loyola Maryland, Sr., F
Jacob Williams, Navy, So., F
Matt Thorsheim, Bucknell, Jr., M
Stevo Bednarsky, Lehigh, Jr., M
Barry Sharifi, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Christian Clarke, Colgate, Sr., D
Zarin Tuten, Lehigh, Sr., D
Matt Nocita, Navy, So., D
Will Smith, Lehigh, Sr., GK
Second Team All-Patriot League*
Keenan O’Shea, Army West Point, Sr., F
Matt McDonnell, Boston University, Sr., F
Marcos Kitromilides, Lafayette, So., F
Kentaro Morrison, Colgate, Sr., M
Trevor Koski, Lehigh, Jr., M
Justin Ingram, Loyola Maryland, Jr., M
Wyatt Millard, Navy, Jr., M
Zac McGraw, Army West Point, Sr., D
Quinn Bredin, Bucknell, Sr., D
Davey Mason, Loyola Maryland, Sr., D
Tyler Collins, Navy, So., D
Chase Vosvick, Loyola Maryland, Jr., GK
Ian Bramblett, Navy, Jr., GK
Third Team All-Patriot League**
Edward Bass, Colgate, So., F
Nico Brown, Loyola Maryland, Sr., F
Nicko West, Navy, Jr., F
Ryan Goncalves, Lafayette, Sr., M
Diego Manrique, Navy, Sr., M
Satchel Cortet, Boston University, Sr., D
Christian Williams, Lafayette, Sr., D
Nick Jennings, Lehigh, So., D
Daniel Osuji, Loyola Maryland, Fr., D
Note: Student-athletes are listed by positions; then alphabetically by institution
* Due to a tie, there are four midfielders on the second team and two on the third team.
** Due to a tie, there are two goalkeepers on the second team and none on the third team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.