Auburn, ME – The CMCC Men's and Women's Soccer teams held their annual end of year team awards ceremony on Tuesday night at Kirk Hall, celebrating a successful 2024 campaign by both squads. Head coaches Rob Rodriguez and Dalton Wing recognized individual performances with a variety of silverware to hand out to players.
On the women's side, players were officially recognized with their YSCC All-Conference and USCAA All-American awards. Madisyn Turcotte, Destiny Mooers, and Olivia Varney received All-Conference honors, while Emma Knowles received the YSCC Goalkeeper of the Year award. It was the second straight year receiving the recognition for Turcotte and Knowles, both juniors.
Turcotte, Knowles, and Mooers also received their USCAA 1st-Team All-American trophies, the second straight year with national recognition for goalkeeper Knowles. Emily Dillman and Gabby Sasse joined them with Academic All-American awards from the national office.
For the team awards, Lily Caban received the "Players Award" as voted on by the whole roster. The Mt. Vernon, ME native recorded seven assists in 16 games and scored twice with goals against Maine Maritime Academy and UMaine-Augusta.
Captain Katie Blouin received the "Coaches Award" as selected by coach Rodriguez and his assistants, Scott Leighton, Cody Dolloff, Ali Sult, Bryan Wallace, and Butch Dow. Blouin, a junior forward, scored twice in 16 games and added an assist, with goals against rivals UMaine-Augusta and SMCC. The Greene, ME native worked tirelessly up front, often as a center forward, helping provide possession for the Mustangs and facilitating an attacking unit that averaged 1.9 goals per game. She ends her college soccer career with six goals and three assists in 41 appearances.
There were also two "Captains Awards" to hand out, as selected by Blouin, Turcotte, and Audrey Dillman. The "Most Improved" award went to Bianca Gilmore. The freshman defender played in all 16 games, making 15 starts and registering an assist, while working with an experienced back line that allowed just 38 goals – impressive numbers when considering the five NCAA DIII opponents the team faced.
She was joined by first-year Emma Koch who received the "Best Freshman" award. The Rumford, ME native saw time early in the year as a back-up goalkeeper behind Knowles and Ava Morgan, but also played in the field, seeing more and more time as a fullback and winger including three starts.
The women's team finished their campaign with a 7-6-3 record, going unbeaten in YSCC play (5-0-2) for the first time. They are already preparing for spring games as part of their offseason conditioning program.
On the men's side, coach Wing and assistant Isidoro Domingues had a lot to be proud of after the team captured their first USCAA National Championship in Pittsburgh and put up a 17-1-2 overall record. The squad had the honor of hosting the YSCC Tournament, meaning players already received their individual conference honors, and being at the USCAA banquet to receive their individual national awards.
There were still the team awards to be handed out on Tuesday night. Goalkeeper Cody Cleaveland was named the team's "Most Valuable Player". The freshman from Richmond, ME led the nation in wins, save percentage, and goals against average while posting 11 shutouts. He was also instrumental in the team's national championship run, defeating Johnson & Wales-Charlotte in a penalty shootout and not allowing a goal in all three matches in Pennsylvania.
Matty Waters was named "Rookie of the Year" after the freshman from Knutsford, England played in all 20 games as a fullback. The physical defender also found a way to contribute on the offensive end, posting three goals and six assists, including setting up two goals in the national championship game.
The "Most Improved" award went to midfielder Mikel Soto. The freshman from Madrid, Spain also appeared in all 20 contests on the season, bagging six goals. The box-to-box midfielder tallied four of those goals in the final eight conference matches as the campaign reached its second half in the month of October.
David Nzuzi was voted the "Captains Player of the Year" while Sam Boynton received "Coaches Player of the Year" honors. Nzuzi showed tremendous speed on the wing, being an outlet to spark countless counterattacks over the season and picking up six assists while contributing in the build-up to plenty of other goals. Boynton appeared in 18 games, mostly off the bench as a spark plug up front to hassle defenders into early passes and mistakes as the first line of defense. The sophomore from China, ME finished the season on a high, scoring twice in the national championship game and being named to the USCAA All-Tournament team.
The Mustangs continue their offseason workout regime, preparing for spring scrimmages as they look to defend their national title.
