Men's Soccer

ECC Men's Soccer Report - Week Six

Offensive Player of the Week

Brandon Johnson, District of Columbia
Senior | Forward | Swindon, England

Senior forward Brandon Johnson delivered a standout week for the Firebirds, leading the offensive charge and helping UDC secure back-to-back victories — including the team’s first conference win of the season. Johnson was instrumental in UDC’s 4–0 road win at Virginia State, recording a brace (two goals) and adding an assist to total five points..


Defensive Player of the Week

Sergio Becerra, District of Columbia
Senior | Goalkeeper | Barakaldo/Vizcaya/Spain

Sergio Becerra anchored the Firebirds’ defense with an exceptional week in goal, helping lead UDC to two key victories — including the team’s first East Coast Conference win of the season. Becerra recorded a clean sheet in UDC’s 4–0 road victory over Virginia State, making two crucial early saves to preserve the shutout. He followed that up with another strong performance in the Firebirds’ 2–1 conference win over D’Youville, where he registered five saves, including multiple point-blank stops that kept UDC in front late in the match. Across both matches, Becerra totaled seven saves while allowing only one goal in 148 minutes of play, posting a 0.50 goals-against average and an impressive .875 save percentage.


Rookie of the Week

Bradyn Brown, Queens
Freshman | Forward | Lindenhurst, NY
Rookie forward Bradyn Brown continued his impressive form, recording four points on one goal and two assists in a 2–0 week for the Knights. On Wednesday, he netted his team-leading 10th goal and third career game-winning goal in a 1–0 win over Bridgeport. He followed that up on Saturday with a career-best two assists in a 2–1 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas, bringing his season total to a team-high 21 points.


ECC Weekly Honor Roll

Danu Kinsella Bishop, Molloy
Graduate Student | Forward | Dublin, Ireland

Kinsella Bishop netted three of Molloy's five goals for the week. The graduate student tallied the game’s first goal against Caldwell and finished the week with a pair of goals against Roberts Wesleyan en route to a six-point week. The Dublin, Ireland native totaled five shots on goal on nine shots.

Yamah Nawabi, District of Columbia
Freshman | Forward | Sterling, VA

In UDC’s 4–0 road win at Virginia State, Nawabi was unstoppable in the attacking third, recording three assists, including both setups on Brandon Johnson’s brace and another on Alexander Stevens-Lee’s first goal as a Firebird. His precision delivery and awareness repeatedly broke down the Virginia State back line and set the tone for the Firebirds’ offensive rhythm. Nawabi continued to make an impact in UDC’s 2–1 conference win over D’Youville, playing a crucial role in earning the Firebirds multiple set-piece and transition chances.

Sebastian Guerrero, Roberts Wesleyan
Sophomore | Forward | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Sophomore Sebastian Guerrero helped the Roberts Men's Soccer team remain unbeaten with a win and a tie this week. He scored a goal in the 3-3 tie with Molloy and added an assist on the game-winning goal in the 2-1 victory over Daemen.

Thanasis Shehadeh, Queens
RS-Sophomore | Goalkeeper | Nicosia, Cyprus
Redshirt-sophomore goalkeeper Thanasis Shehadeh anchored the backline with seven saves and one shutout over two matches. In the 1–0 win over Bridgeport, Shehadeh recorded five saves to earn his fourth clean sheet of the season, becoming the program’s all-time leader in shutouts with 12 career clean sheets. On Saturday, he added two first-half saves and helped manage the defense in the 2–1 win over STAC, earning Queens their ninth overall win and fourth in ECC play.


ECC Men's Soccer Weekly Award Winners

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 8 -
Ignacio Lopez, District of Columbia
Sept. 15 - Archie Murphy, Roberts Wesleyan
Sept. 22 - Uhunoma Fredrick-Ilekhuoba, St. Thomas Aquinas
Sept. 29 - Archie Murphy, Roberts Wesleyan (2x)
Oct. 6 - Bradyn Brown, Queens
Oct. 13 - Brandon Johnson, District of Columbia

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 8 -
Eric Jewson, Roberts Wesleyan 
Sept. 15 - Thanasis Shehadeh, Queens
Sept. 22 - Matthew Solorio, D’Youville
Sept. 29 - Thanasis Shehadeh, Queens (2x)
Oct. 6 - Eric Jewson, Roberts Wesleyan (2x)
Oct. 13 - Sergio Becerra, District of Columbia

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 8 -
Carlos Villa, Queens
Sept. 15 - Bradyn Brown, Queens
Sept. 22 - Bradyn Brown, Queens (2x)
Sept. 29 - Bradyn Brown, Queens (3x)
Oct. 6 - Eitan Zeitoune, St. Thomas Aquinas
Oct. 13 - Bradyn Brown, Queens (4x)

ECC PRESEASON POLL

1. Queens - 80 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Mercy - 70 points
3. District of Columbia - 51 points
4. Molloy - 48 points
5. D'Youville - 47 points (1 first-place vote)
6. Roberts Wesleyan - 43 points
7. St. Thomas Aquinas - 36 points
8. Staten Island - 18 points
9. Daemen - 12 points