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Dermot McGrane |
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – For the second consecutive year, Niagara University men’s soccer coach Dermot McGrane was named the Anaconda Sports Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year Thursday evening. Senior Matt Stedman (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) was also named first team All-MAAC while Billy Gustafson (Rochester, N.Y.) and senior Rafael Venturini (Victoria, Brazil) was named to the second team and rookie John Fiutowski (Ottawa, Ont.) was honored on the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
McGrane, in his fifth season as head coach on Monteagle Ridge, is the first coach in Niagara history to earn back-to-back coach of the year honors from the MAAC, and the third men’s soccer coach in the program’s history to receive this honor. He has compiled a 30-48-11 record, including a 7-6-4 overall record and 5-1-3 league mark this season. In the last two years, McGrane has helped the Purple Eagles to a 16-15-4 and a pair of MAAC Tournament berths.
The 2005 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, Stedman leads the Purple Eagles with 16 points on six goals and four assists. He will finish his collegiate career in the top three in points, goals and assists at Niagara.
As a defender, Gustafson earns his second postseason honor after being named a member of the 2005 MAAC All-Rookie Team. As a sophomore, Gustafson was one of six players to start all 17 games this season. He also has a goal and two assists on the season.
Venturini earns his first postseason honor after ranking fourth in scoring for the Purple Eagles this year. The midfielder collected three goals for six points, including two goals on penalty kicks.
Fiutowski started the final 10 games, including all nine MAAC games, in net for Niagara. He has a 1.16 goals-against average, .795 save percentage and 6-3-4 record with two shut outs.
Niagara returns to action at the MAAC Tournament when the second seeded Purple Eagles play third seeded Saint Peter’s, Thursday at 4 p.m., at Lessing Field on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Conn.
