Men’s Soccer Garners Seven All-NECC Nods; Swann, Bell Collect NECC Major Awards

MANSFIELD, Mass.- Junior Charlie Swann (London, England) headlined the Eastern Nazarene College men's soccer team's seven All-New England Collegiate Conference selections, as the league office announced the all-conference teams and major award winners Friday. Swann was named the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year while fourth-year head coach Mark Bell was voted the NECC Coach of the Year.

Edmilson Centeio (New Bedford, Mass.), Stanley Elie (Roslindale, Mass.), Ismael Lobo (Brockton, Mass.), Carlos Moya (Oviedo, Spain), and Leon Zaffonato (Canela, Brazil) all joined Swann on the All-NECC first team while Tyler Ferreira (Berkley, Mass.) was tabbed to the All-NECC second team.

Swann becomes just the second player in program history to earn the conference's Player of the Year award. A two-time NECC Player of the Week, Swann netted a league-best 15 goals during the regular season to rank 14th in NCAA Division III while also posting a conference-high 33 points. He bagged four game-winning tallies this fall and converted his only penalty-kick attempt. Swann has started all 16 matches this season and has found the back of the net in 12 contests. In conference action, the junior striker notched four goals and one assist this year.

Bell picks up the program's first-ever conference Coach of the Year award after guiding the Lions to a 13-3-0 overall record in the regular season and a 4-2 mark in league action. Earlier this fall, Bell earned his 200th career victory in Eastern Nazarene's 2-1 win at the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.). After dropping the season-opener at Nichols, Bell's squad rattled off a program-best 13-match winning-streak and garnered votes in the D3Soccer.com National Poll along the way.

Centeio earned All-NECC first team honors for the second year in a row. The senior tallied a pair of goals to go with two assists on the season. He appeared in all 16 matches this fall and started 15 contests. Centeio was dubbed the NECC Player of the Week once this season after picking up the game-winning score in the Lions' 4-2 win over Pine Manor.

Elie dished out three assists this fall, including one helper in league competition. The senior started 10 games and came off the bench in four matches.

Lobo started 12 contests this season and scored one goal while anchoring Eastern Nazarene's stingy defense that allowed 1.13 goals per game.

Moya appeared in all 16 matches this year and started 15 games. The rookie netted two goals and recorded three assists while contributing to the Lions' defensive efforts.

Zaffonato finished the regular season tied for third in the NECC with 23 total points, tallying eight goals and registering a league-best seven assists. In conference play, Zaffonato collected three goals and two assists. The junior posted a point in nine of the 15 matches he saw action in this season. Earlier this fall, he was named the NECC Player of the Week after collecting a pair of goals and one assist in Eastern Nazarene's 4-0 victory over Mitchell.

Ferreira started nine matches between the pipes and posted a league-best 0.75 goals-against average. The sophomore netminder compiled an 8-1-0 record with three clean sheets to his credit.

Senior Jake Donovan (New London, N.H.) was selected to the NECC Del Malloy Sportsmanship Team. The team captain started 15 matches this year for the Lions.

Eastern Nazarene claimed the No. 3 seed in the New England Collegiate Conference Tournament and will host sixth-seeded Dean Sunday, November 3 in the opening round.