Season Awards

For the first time, we decided to do some team awards to recognize our great season.
We sent out a poll to all of our players to vote on who they thought deserved to get each award. Although there are players on our team that receive league and region awards, I think awards that are voted on by your teammates are special in their own way.

Player Of The Year: Chris Taylor

Attacking Player Of The Year: Matt Hamilton. Hamilton had a great year, it might not show it in the stats but everyone on the team knows he did. When we changed formations he was vital to our success and he was immense in the SUNYAC tournament.

Defensive Player Of The Year: John LoGuirato. Logo was a monster this year. This is probably the most competitive award on the team because we have two of the best centre backs in the country and also a phenomenal right back, so to win this award is a great achievement for anyone. The bigger the game the better Logo played and this is a well deserved award.

Newcomer Of The Year: Stepjan Bandov. This was a tough award because it is so hard for a player to come in to our team and contribute right away. Bandov was in and out of the lineup but his quality was evident from the start. His goal in the SUNYAC Play In game was a massive one and he was also excellent in our last game against Amherst, which bodes well for the future.

Most Improved Player: Erik Hakim. This was another tightly contested award because in any college team most of the players improve. In Erik's case, everybody knew he had the talent and ability from the start, it was just a case of finding a place for him. Once we did he was so dominant that other teams would move their best players to other positions just to stay away from him. When Erik played well, the team played well. His ability in the air and composure on the ball were vital. It was a shame that he couldn't play in the NCAA's because he would have made a massive difference but he has got many more big games to come in his career.

Cardinal Award: Steve Zaharczyk. This award goes to someone who showed everything that we want out of a Plattsburgh player. The first day of pre season we found out that Big Steve would not be playing because of medical reasons. It is hard for someone to sit out a season but what Steve did throughout the season was an inspiration to everyone. Most of us can only imagine how it feels to sit out a season but Steve put all of that aside and dedicated himself to the team like no one else has done before. He was at every practice, whether it was sunny or freezing and raining. He was at every game and filmed it for us too. He could have easily shown up 5 minutes before a game and did his job but he was there when the players got there an hour and a half before the game. He supported the team and in turn we treated him like he was on the team because to us he was. Steve will be back next year and the experience of this year will make him better and he will appreciate the team more than any other.