LOUDONVILLE, NY – For the second straight year, Siena Men's Soccer saw six different Saints honored with MAAC postseason awards. The team also garnered a major award for the second straight year, with the conference announcing the recipients of its annual postseason awards on Monday morning.
Graduate student goalkeeper Greg Monroe became the program's second MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year honoree by taking home the newly-rebranded "Golden Glove Award". The Clifton Park, New York product also earned All-MAAC honors for the first time in his career as a member of the First Team, and joined program great Eric Lind (1998) in being hailed as the league's top keeper.
Monroe was one of four Saints who garnered First Team All-MAAC honors, with Siena tying MAAC Regular Season Champion Quinnipiac for the most first team honorees and setting a program record for the most in a single season. Sophomore Thomas Storodegard was a First Team All-MAAC selection as a forward, while sophomore Jacob Sandun Arachchige-Jensen took home First Team honors for the second straight year as a midfielder, and defender Henrik Winkelmann was First Team All-MAAC as a defender. Additionally, junior Bilal Hersi earned Second Team All-MAAC honors as a forward, while sophomore Erik Reis was a Second Team All-MAAC selection as a midfielder.
Returning for his fifth year in a Siena uniform, Monroe put together a stellar effort in his final year in Green and Gold, setting five program records and ranking amongst the MAAC's top keepers in several statistical categories. He leaves the program as its all-time leader in matches played (81), minutes (7,414), saves (370), goalkeeper wins (28), and shutouts (17). Monroe led the league in minutes played, save percentage (.816), and shutouts (7) this season, while ranking second in goals-against-average (1.01) and third in total saves (85) and saves per-game (4.42). He finished the year tied for the most clean sheets in a single season in program history, and was honored as the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week three times during the 2022 campaign.
A member of the MAAC All-Rookie Team last season, Storodegard finished the regular season with the second-most goals scored in the MAAC, totaling eight goals and 16 total points to log the most goals recorded in a single season for the Saints since 2012. The Baerums Verk, Norway native logged a pair of multi-goal performances and set the program single-season record for most game-winning goals with five, which tied for the third-most nationally. Storodegard was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week back on October 10.
Coming off winning MAAC Rookie of the Year and an All-Rookie Team nod in 2021, Arachchige-Jensen returned to the MAAC as one of its most-feared midfielders. The Preseason All-MAAC selection started all 19 matches on the season, logging a pair of goals and two assists on the year. Arachchige-Jensen is the first Saint to earn back-to-back First Team All-MAAC nods since program great James Beeston did so in 2012 & 2013, and is only the second Saint to ever do so.
A Second Team All-MAAC honoree last season, Winkelmann is the first Siena defender to earn a First Team nod since 2017, and was also a Preseason All-MAAC selection. The Ostercappeln, Germany product played in 17 matches with 15 starts this year, aiding Siena's back line in allowing just 19 goals all season and recording eight total shutouts, which tied a single-season program record. Winkelmann has served as a team captain during each of the last two seasons, including a rare stint as a freshman leader on the team.
Hersi earned the first All-MAAC nod of his collegiate career as a member of the Second Team, with his four goals and four assists ranking second on the squad in points this season. The Decatur, Georgia native logged a pair of game-winners, and started in 18 of 19 total matches played in. He concludes the year as the program's top active point scorer with ten career goals and five helps for 25 total points.
The team's leader in minutes played as a field player (1,614), Reis earned a Second Team nod after making the All-Rookie Team last year and the Preseason All-MAAC squad prior to the season. The Gothenberg, Sweden native logged over 70 minutes per-match in all but one outing this year, and recorded one goal and four assists for six total points.
Siena has now taken home an impressive 16 total MAAC postseason awards in just three seasons under head coach Graciano Brito. The Saints recently concluded an 8-5-6 campaign with its third straight trip to the postseason for the first time since 2014-16, falling in the MAAC Quarterfinals to Niagara in an intense penalty shootout on Sunday evening.
Additionally, Siena also continued its success in the classroom with a program record 15 Saints named to the MAAC All-Academic Team, which tied for the most honorees in the MAAC. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
Monroe took home All-Academic Team honors for the fourth time in his collegiate career, while redshirt-senior Antonio Linge, redshirt-junior Niko Dimkopoulos, and seniors Luke Ferrari, Svavar Nokkvason & Mark Sojer did so for the third time. Senior Antonio La Gamba joined juniors Cole Hellert and Salko Kanic in earning an All-Academic nod for the second time, while sophomores Arachchige-Jensen, Olafur Freysson, Zach Gardner, Reis, Jesper Schone Vogtengen, and Winkelmann did so for the first time.
