Six men's soccer players earn America East All-Conference honors
Munro named Defensive Player of the Year, Gonet named Goalkeeper and Rookie of the Year

Complete All-Conference Teams

VESTAL, N.Y.--After a 10-2-6 regular season, including a 4-1-4 record in the America East Conference, the Binghamton men's soccer team has been rewarded with six players earning all-conference honors. The six players is double of the team's total from 2002 and is the most of any team in the conference.

"Today is a celebration of all of the hard work our team has put in since the summer," head coach Paul Marco said. "To have six of our guys honored is fantastic."

Sophomore back Graham Munro (Inverness, Scotland/ Invergordon) was named the America East Conference Defensive Player of the Year and earned first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row. He paced a defense that led the nation with the lowest goals against average (0.36) and the highest shutout percentage (0.78). Binghamton was also the only team on the NCAA Division I level not to have allowed a first half goal this season. Offensively, Munro finished the second with three goals, a career-high two assists and tied a career-high with eight points.

"Graham has had a fantastic year," Marco said. "He had a great freshman year but he improved so much more this year. His competitiveness is second to none and he will not allow anyone to beat him."

The other major award winner for Binghamton was sophomore goalkeeper Stefan Gonet (Refrewshire, Scotland/ Trinity), who was was named both the America East Conference Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year. He also named first-team all-conference and earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team. Gonet currently ranks second on the NCAA Division I level among goalkeepers with a 0.36 GAA and broke the Binghamton school record with 14.0 solo shutouts this season. He has been named the America East Conference Rookie of the Week three times this season.

"We have been very happy with Stefan this year," Marco said. "He knows how to organize the defense and has been able to anticipate shots before they happen."

Earning second-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row is junior forward Stephen Bruce (Buckie, Scotland/ Buckie Community). He is currently second on the team with a career-high five goals and fourth with a career-high 10 points.

Another Binghamton forward earning second-team all-conference honors is junior Charles Darkwah (Toronto, Onatrio/ Bathulst Heights), who leads the team with six goals and 13 total points. He was named the America East Conference Player of the Week for Sept. 22-28.

"Stephen and Charles are as good of a tendem up front as anyone in the conference," Marco said. "For other teams to be concerned with two players gives us a big advantage."

Sophomore midfielder Danilo (Sao, Paulo, Brazil) is the third Binghamton player named second-team all-conference. Though he did not have any offensive statistics, he was the link between the Bearcats' top-ranked defense and offensive unit that scored nearly twice as many goals as it did last season (26, as opposed to 15).

"Danilo has been our unsung hero this season," Marco said. "He has been our engine this year and has done a lot for us both offensively and defensively. He'll usually cover between five and six miles a game."

Joining Gonet on the All-Rookie Team is freshman forward/midfielder Bryan Arnault (Clay, N.Y./ Cicero-North Syracuse), who is tied for second on the team with 11 points (four goals, three assists). He was named the America East Conference Rookie of the Week this past week by virtue of his one-goal, one-assist performance in the Bearcats' 2-0 win over New Hampshire on Saturday.

"We knew Bryan was going to be a good player," Marco said. "But he has still done better than we could have anticipated. He has come in, embraced his role on the team and has been a pleasure to work with."

Picked to finish eighth in the conference in the America East preseason coaches poll, Binghamton defied the odds and earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament. For his part in the Bearcats' surprising season, Marco received strong consideration for Coach of the Year honors.

Binghamton hosts either Maine or Hartford in a semifinal game on Saturday at 1 p.m.