Sophomore Keston George (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad & Tobago) was named the 2009 Freedom Conference men’s soccer Player of the Year and head coach Didier Orellana named Coach of the Year as announced by the Freedom Conference on Monday afternoon.
Orellana had one of the most successful seasons in program history in 2009, leading the Valiants to a 13-5-1 record and the school’s first Freedom Conference regular-season championship. The Valiants concluded only the second undefeated conference season in program history and tied for second on the program’s single-season wins list behind only the 1999. The team finished 14-5-0 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
Manhattanville also received four more honors as sophomores Adam Kent (London, England) and Emil Sjöberg (Stockholm, Sweden) along with George were named First-Team All-Conference members. Juniors Kenneil Haye (Queens, N.Y.) and Jason Torres (Harrison, N.Y.) also were named Second-Team All-Conference members after a spectacular season in-which both were instrumental in the team’s success.
George, the defending Freedom Conference Rookie of the led the team in points his freshman year and came back to leads the team in goals and points this year, scoring nine goals this season for 25 points. The sophomore ranked first in game-winning goals with four on the year. George is fifth in the conference in points, tied for sixth in goals, tied for second in assists and tied for third in game-winning goals. He is the second Valiant men’s soccer player to be named a conference player of the year, joining Scott Vieira who won in Orellana’s first season at the helm back in 2005.
Kent was named to an all-conference team for the first time as he led the Freedom Conference with nine assists and was second on the team with 21 points. Kent scored his only two collegiate goals this season against Baruch College on a penalty kick and a breakaway. Kent’s nine assists are tied for ninth on the school’s single-season helper list.
Sjöberg was a major key for the defensive unit that allowed under a goal per game for the Valiants. This is the second straight season Sjöberg was named an All-Conference member, as last season he made the second team. In two seasons for the Valiants, Sjöberg has missed only one game.
Haye earned his first career All-Conference honor finishing the season with three goals and three assists. In three seasons with Manhattanville, Haye has 12 goals and seven assists while playing in 53 games as a Valiant.
Torres, also first-time All-Freedom honoree tied with A.J. Kretschmer ’04 for first in single-season shutouts with 11 on the season. He is ranked first in goals against average and once again tied Kretschmer for second with 13 victories on the season. The Harrison, N.Y. native is fourth in minutes after playing all 1748:38 minutes in goal this season. His eight-game shutout streak also ranks eighth in Division III history, as Torres blanked his opposition for 803:34 minutes midway through the season;
Manhattanville will return all five award winners next season when the team looks to defend its Freedom Conference regular-season championship after a successful 13-5-1 season.