HAMDEN, CT – Iona College men’s soccer senior Ignacio Maganto was named the 2014 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, and was one of six Iona players to earn All-MAAC recognition, the conference announced at the MAAC Men’s Soccer Awards Show.
Maganto led the MAAC with 27 points on 11 goals and five assists during the season. He registered four game-winners and was a perfect four-for-four on penalty kicks. In league play, Maganto scored eight goals and recorded five assists. His 11 goals are 10th overall in the nation, while his 27 points are eighth best in the country.
Maganto was an All-MAAC First Team honoree, while senior Michael Holzer earned his second All-MAAC Second Team selection. Holzer registered a career best three assists for Iona during the regular season in 17 games played.
Freshmen defenders Franky Martinez, Tyler Pinho and Joshua Calderon were named to the All-MAAC Rookie Team, along with forward Marcos Nunez. Martinez, Pinho and Calderon combined to make 47 starts along the Iona backline, which registered seven shutouts during the regular season. Nunez has appeared in all 18 games for Iona, tallying nine points on three goals and three assists.
Additionally, eight student-athletes were named to the MAAC All-Academic team. Maganto was recognized along with graduate student Kester Guischard, senior Alexandre Sibelait, junior Julian Petrello and sophomores Michael Gottlinger, Marley McLain, Aaron Potter and Jordan Scarlett. To be eligible for the MAAC All-Academic Team, a student athlete must complete two semesters at their institution and hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a 4.0 scale.
Iona begins its quest for a MAAC Championship tomorrow morning in the semifinals. The second seeded Gaels match up with the fourth seed Monmouth at 10:00 am.