Albertus Magnus is represented among the elite men's soccer players in New England as three Falcons earned a spot on the 2011 NCAA DIII All-New England Team, which released this past weekend.
Senior Jamal Howard (West Haven, Conn.) and junior Stephen Zapata (Hamden, Conn.) were named to the All-New England First Team for the South Division of New England, while junior Nick Hamasian (Hamden, Conn.) was tagged as a Second Team member.
Howard, who led the Falcons in 2011 to a record-breaking year, was named the GNAC Player of the Year in 2011 as he finished the season with 50 points on 22 goals and six assists. He was also named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team and then scored both goals in the Falcons' 2-0 shutout of Mount Ida in the GNAC Tournament (Oct. 31) and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team for his efforts.
During the ECAC Tournament, Howard led the Falcons to their first-ever ECAC postseason victory as they defeated Endicott College 3-2 before their first-ever ECAC Tournament Championship appearance.
Howard finished the year ranked 11th in the nation among Division III men's soccer players with 2.27 points per game, while being seventh in the country in total points (50). He was also ranked in the top-10 for goals per game (1.0) and total goals (22).
In 2011, Howard set program records in career goals and points, while he set the single-season record in goals scored (22). In 80 career games, Howard scored 52 goals and registered 15 assists for 119 career points. Howard was most recently selected to play in the 2011 New England Intercollegiate Soccer League (NEISL) Division III All-Star Game, which was played on Nov. 27 at Harvard.
Zapata finished the 2011 season as the Nation's leader in assists with 23 on the year, including a 1.15 average per game. Zapata, who was named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team, tallied six goals and 23 assists in 20 games played for the Falcons. His 1.75 points per game average gave him a top-50 ranking in the nation in that category, while his 35 total points put him at No. 32 on the country's total points list.
In his career, Zapata has recorded 40 assists and 18 goals for 76 points in 58 total games. He has also scored three game-winning goals.
Hamasian, who was selected to the All-New England Second Team, played in 17 games for the Falcons as he registered one goal and one assist for three points. He led a Falcons' defense that allowed 26 goals on the year and just 12 goals in during regular-season play.
Hamasian helped the Falcons register a perfect 10-0 record in GNAC play during the regular season, another first for the program, while in addition to this new honor, he was also selected as a First Team All-Conference member by the GNAC.
