By HockomockSports.com Staff
A half dozen former Hock players suited up for Brendan Adams and the MASCAC champion Bridgewater State squad this season. Freshman Nick Ribeiro took his talents from Milford to Bridgewater and made an immediate impact, scoring the game-winning goal in the MASCAC championship game against Westfield and earning Co-Rookie of the Year honors. OA’s Hector Bucio was selected to the All-MASCAC Second Team. Milford’s Dan Santos was a team captain this year, Foxboro’s Matt Garcia started in 19 games on defense and finished with three goals and two assists, Attleboro’s Will Halben also scored three goals and had two helpers in 19 appearances, and North Attleboro’s Justin Silva – a junior captain – appeared in 14 games (13 starts) and had two assists. Franklin’s Freddie Beckmann served as an assistant coach for the Bears.
Down in Storrs, former North Attleboro standout goalie Kyle Briere finished off his career with the University of Connecticut in a memorable way. After seeing minimum time throughout his first three years, Huskies head coach Christopher Gbandi handed Briere his first career start in the BIG EAST Quarterfinal against St. John’s. Briere delivered, making six saves in a 2-1 overtime win to send the Huskies to the BIG EAST semifinals.
Former Oliver Ames standout defender Brady deVos was a reliable option in the back for head coach Ed Matz and Assumption University. The defender was second on the team in minutes played with 1,304, starting in 15 out of 16 games.
Bentley University finished second in the Northeast-10 conference this season and OA alum Michael Haikal played a key role for the Falcons. A sophomore midfielder, Haikal tied for a team-high six assists and scored one goal – the game-winner in a win at Saint Anselm – to earn All-Conference second team honors.
Canton’s Griffin Roach saw a decorated collegiate career come to a close in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. For the second season in a row, Roach was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year after helping the Terriers limit opponents to 0.88 goals per game and six shutouts. He also scored a pair of goals as BU won the Patriot League and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. For his career, Roach started in 51 games with three goals and one assist, logging 4,563 minutes.
Only a short drive down to Bryant University, a pair of former Hock soccer players factored into the Bulldogs’ historic campaign that ended with the program’s first-ever conference title. Attleboro’s David Medeiros appeared in 32 games over the past four years, including 23 starts, and scored his first collegiate goal – the game-winner in overtime – as a sophomore against SFU. King Philip’s Cam Lawrence wrapped up his junior season and has appeared in 22 games during his career, with 13 starts, notching a pair of assists.
Franklin Pierce won its second consecutive national championship this year, with Taunton’s Colton Madeira and Canton’s Erik Valdovinos on the roster. Madeira made 12 appearances this year, including one start. He recorded his first collegiate point with an assist at Saint Michael’s. Valdovinos didn’t play this year but still made history as the play-by-play announcer for the first-ever Spanish-language broadcast for the championship, along with five other games.
Sophomore striker Matt Angelini made nine appearances for Curry this year, including one start. The former Foxboro goal-scorer got on the score sheet with an assist in a 5-3 win over Mass. Maritime. In two seasons, Angelini has six points.
Joey Soucy had a bright start to his junior year at Emmanuel College. A former Bombardier, Soucy started in seven straight games to start the season and scored twice. Freshman Riley Rebello made his collegiate debut in the season-opener and went on to make 14 appearances, including three starts. He scored his first collegiate goal on the road at the University of Saint Joseph.
Sharon’s Miguel Vasconcelos was a welcome addition to the Lesley University squad this season, making an immediate impact as a freshman. The former Eagle appeared in all 17 games this season, including 14 starts. He scored his first collegiate goal for the Lynx in a 6-1 win at VTSU Lyndon, adding two assists in the same game. Though just a rookie, he finished second on the team in points with nine (three goals, three assists).
Two years removed from earning All-American status with Olives Ames, Mathias Taylor is now an important piece in Rhode Island’s lineup. This past season, he appeared in 16 games with four starts. Taylor scored his first collegiate goal against rival Providence and added a second later in the season against George Mason.
Fifth-year Zac White wrapped up his collegiate career with Roanoke this past fall. He logged a career-high 445 minutes in eight games played, including five starts. White, who had a strong career in high school at King Philip, finished his career with 20 appearances for the Maroons.
Colin Milliken made an instant impact in his first year dawning the purple and white for Stonehill, earning All-Northeast Conference second team honors. After playing two years at Southern New Hampshire, the former OA standout and Hockomock League MVP set career-highs in goals (six), assists (four), points (16), shots (31), and shots on goals (15) in his first season with the Skyhawks. In his first game with Stonehill, Milliken scored twice and had an assist against La Salle University. Two more familiar Hock faces joined Milliken at Stonehill this season: Franklin’s Noah Cain (one game played) and Terry O’Neill. O’Neill, a 2021 HockomockSports Best XI selection and honorable mention for Player of the Year, was one of six players to appear in all 16 games for Stonehill. The former Panther started in 15 games, and although just a sophomore, has played in 31 games already.
In his first year with UMass Dartmouth, Joey Requinha was a mainstay in the lineup for head coach Jason Burnett. Renquinha, a former Taunton Tiger, logged 1,500 minutes played this year (second on the team) and started in all 18 games as a freshman. King Philip’s Thomas Meader made eight appearances, getting his first collegiate start on the road against Bridgewater State.