Roman, Rivera Receive GNAC Postseason Honors

WINTHROP, Mass. – After leading the Regis College men's soccer team to the conference tournament, senior captains Diego Roman (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) and Marcos Rivera (San Juan, Puerto Rico) have been recognized by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), as the league announced its postseason awards Monday.

Roman was voted Second Team All-GNAC by the conference coaches after starting all 14 matches he appeared in, completing a collegiate career in which he started every contest he played, totaling 46 career starts. On Sept. 11 against Anna Maria, he scored the game-tying goal with 51 seconds remaining in the first half and the game-winning goal with 13 minutes left in regulation as the Pride picked up a 2-1 victory.

As the leader of the Pride backline, Roman was part of five shutouts, including blankings of conference foes Colby-Sawyer (Sept. 25), Elms (Oct. 4), and Dean (Oct. 16). Roman's third goal of the season came just 4:35 into the Oct. 13 match against University of Saint Joseph as he connected on a header off a corner kick.

"Diego used his technical, tactical, and athletic ability to prove every day at training that he was one of the best defenders in the history of the Regis soccer program," head coach Renato Capobianco said. "He helped create and establish a tremendous, unique team culture that will be the standard for other players to maintain."

Rivera was selected to the GNAC Men's Soccer All-Sportsmanship Team after appearing in 17 matches, including 15 starts, during the 2021 season. He scored two goals during the Pride's 3-0 victory over Elms Oct. 4 and was in the lineup during Regis' six shutouts this year, capping a collegiate career in which he played in 44 matches, making 16 starts during that time.

"Marcos's dedication at practice and in games was always an example of what it meant to be focused 100 percent of the time. Through his co-captaincy, Marcos proved to be an invaluable leader with his insights when asked by his coaches what he felt was needed on a particular day," continued Capobianco.

Regis College finished sixth in the GNAC regular season standings at 5-5-2 as part of a 7-8-2 overall record.