BIDDEFORD, Maine – A pair of Suffolk men's soccer standouts picked up Commonwealth Coast Conference all-league honors as graduate student Nigel Leo and sophomore Brady Sorensen garnered first-team and third-team nods, respectively, the conference office announced Thursday morning.
Leo, who brought his talents to Beacon Hill after a four-year career at Belmont, made his name known at midfield in a Suffolk jersey early on. He scattered nine points over the first four games en route to the first-ever Suffolk men's soccer player to receive a weekly award from the CCC with player of the week recognition Sept. 8. The Rancho Palos Verdes, California Native continued be an offensive threat for the Rams for the remainder of the regular-season, which he wrapped up with the fourth-most points in the league on a team-best 24. His scoring line is broken down to 11 goals, which also lands fourth amongst his conference counterparts and sits atop the Suffolk squad, and a pair of helpers. Four of his goals pushed Suffolk to victory including a pair of league wins, a 1-0 decision over Nichols Oct. 9 and a 2-0 shutout of Curry Oct. 23. Leo is the first Suffolk player to take home a first-team selection since Alberto Bittan grabbed Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) first-team status in 2016.
Sorensen enjoyed a standout season after his freshman year was derailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Plymouth, Massachusetts, product registered 13 points on five goals and three assists over 15 games. His five tallies are good for a share of 10th in the league and second on the Suffolk squad. One of his markers was a game-winner for the blue-and-gold, as he found the back of the net in overtime to lift the Rams past Lesley Sept. 28.
The duo, who is the first set of Suffolk student-athletes to earn all-conference accolades the same season since the trio of Christian Restrepo, Jordan Casey and James Fisher did so in 2017, starts a new collection of all-league accolades for Suffolk, who competed in the CCC for the first time in program history. When combined with the vast GNAC honors, the Rams now have earned nearly 50 all-league distinctions including one offensive player of the year, one defensive player of the year, three rookie of the year, 10 first-team honorees, 19 second-team selections and 15 third-team nods.
Leo and Sorensen were instrumental to Suffolk's ticket to the CCC post-season that came on the heels of an 8-8-1 overall campaign and 4-5-0 league ledger. CCC Opening Round action kicks off tonight, Thursday, Oct. 28 when the eighth-seeded Rams venture across town to face seventh-seeded Wentworth in the Opening Round at 7 p.m.
2021 MEN'S SOCCER ALL-CCC TEAM
Offensive Player of the Year – Javi Beltran, Roger Williams
Defensive Player of the Year – Casey Kelly, Salve Regina
CCC Scholar-Athlete – Casey Kelly, Salve Regina
Coach of the Year – Joe Calabrese, Endicott
Team Sportsmanship – Gordon / University of New England
First-Team All-CCC
F – Chase Gwynn, Gordon
F – Joe Mepham, Endicott
F – Alessandro Oggiano, Salve Regina
M – Javi Beltran, Roger Williams
M – Luckson Dambo, Gordon
M – Nigel Leo, Suffolk
B – Charles Badji, Endicott
B – Casey Kelly, Salve Regina
B – Nial Shea, Roger Williams
B – Casey Torres, Gordon
GK – Jack Avellar, Roger Williams
Second Team All-CCC
F – Nathan Gosselin, Wentworth
F – Justin Horvath, Roger Williams
F – Mike Milazzo, Western New England
M – Tyler Andrade, Roger Williams
M – Jordan Borges, Salve Regina
M – Hayden Laske, Endicott
M – Sean O'Neill, Western New England
M – Rich Ventura, Salve Regina
B – John Dauphin, Wentworth
B – James Davies, Salve Regina
B – Camden Rigney, Endicott
GK – Zach Regulbuton, Endicott
Third-Team All-CCC
F – Ryan Brady, Curry
F – Jacob Guerra, Salve Regina
F – Brady Sorensen, Suffolk
F – Jack Wetzel, Roger Williams
M – Cole Elgin, Endicott
M – Ryan Firmin, Wentworth
M – Giovanni Martins, Curry
B – Andrew Crean, Western New England
B – Dayton Crocker, Gordon
B – Tiago Frazao, Endicott
GK – Brody Veleber, Gordon