GNAC Men's Soccer Report: Week 7

Norwich's Joseph Thongsythavong won his second straight GNAC weekly honor after a nine-point week for the Cadets and currently owns a seven-game scoring streak.

October 18, 2021

( FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 11 - 17 )

	PLAYER OF THE WEEK Joseph Thongsythavong, Norwich (Jr., F - Salem, Mass.) - Thongsythavong stretched his scoring streak to seven straight games and tallied his sixth collegiate hat trick on the week as part of a four-goal, one-assist week for nine points to lead Norwich to two GNAC victories. Thongsythavong tallied a hat trick in an 8-1 win over Anna Maria and then he scored the game-winning goal with six minutes left to lift the Cadets to a huge 2-1 road victory over Emmanuel on Saturday. Thongsythavong also tallied an assist on Norwich's first goal of the game. Thongsythavong ranks second in the GNAC with 16 goals on the season and 38 points. With his four goals on the week, Thongsythavong moved into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time Norwich goals scored list with 33 goals in just 32 games played.
	GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK David Walbridge, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (GR, GK - Hampden, Mass.) - Walbridge posted a 0.50 goals-against average with a .900 save percentage and nine saves in two GNAC wins last week. The graduate student turned away five shots in a 1-0 shutout effort over Elms on Wednesday and made four saves, including an early PK stop, in a 2-1 triumph over Albertus Magnus on Saturday.
	ROOKIE OF THE WEEK *Dane Stephens, St. Joseph (Conn.)* (So., F - Jamaica) - In a 2-0-0 week for USJ, Stephens netted the game-winning goal with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation to lift the Blue Jays over Regis, 2-1, in a thrilling GNAC contest at USJ on Wednesday evening. After a shot was blocked, Stephens collected the rebound and fired a brilliant strike into the top left corner.

HONOR ROLL

Lucas Boetsch, Colby-Sawyer (Sr, GK - ROCKPORT, MAINE) - The senior stopped nine of 10 shots in a 2-0 week, including making seven saves in a 3-1 win versus Anna Maria.

JP Rioux, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., F - Stony Point, N.Y.) - Rioux scored three goals in a pair of victories over the past week for the Wildcats. In a shutout over the Albertus Magnus Falcons, he scored the second goal to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. Against Lasell, he scored both goals for his second and third on the week. Rioux finished with six points, nine shots, five shots on goal, and a .556 shot on goal percentage.

Santiago Pedraza Novak, Regis (Mass.) (Jr., F - Bogota, Colombia) - Pedraza Novak played a role in both goals during Regis' 2-0 victory over Dean Saturday. He got the scoring started for the Pride four minutes into the first half when he broke away from the Dean defenders and beat the goalie from a tough angle on the left side of the box into the far right side of the net. Less than three minutes later, he set up Zack Acciardo for the second goal of the match, his team-leading fifth assist of the season.

Michael Torres, St. Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., M - Hartford, Conn.) - Torres had a three-point week to help power the Blue Jays to a perfect 2-0-0 record this past week. Torres netted the game-tying goal on Wednesday night in what was an eventual 2-1 triumph for USJ over Regis College before assisting on what was the game-winning goal on Saturday afternoon in a 2-0 victory for the Blue Jays over visiting Rivier University.

Austin Ward, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Senior, M - North Andover, Mass.) - Ward scored both of the Monks' goals in a 2-1 comeback victory over Albertus Magnus on Saturday and assisted on his team's lone goal versus Elms on Wednesday.

GNAC WEEKLY ARCHIVE

WEEK	PLAYER	GOALKEEPER	ROOKIE
1	Musa Jiana, ELMS	Bryce Antoch, DEAN	Musa Jiana, ELMS
2	Amerle Nemeye, NOR	Freddie Beckmann, REG	Jacob Freitas, REG
3	DeAnte Anderson, USJ	David Walbridge, SJC	Arian Bobi, AMC
4	Joel Agbetossou, USJ	Vincent Conelli, EMM	Luis Agudelo, AMC
5	Joseph Thongsythavong, NOR	David Walbridge, SJC	Dane Stephens, USJ
6	Joseph Thongsythavong, NOR (2)	Jacob Friedman, JWU	Mamadi Jiana, NOR
7	Joseph Thongsythavong, NOR (3)	David Walbridge, SJC (2)	Dane Stephens, USJ (2)

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 14 member institutions and over 3,500 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

– #TheGNAC –