SUNY Ulster men reap awards - Kingston Daily Freeman

COLLEGE SOCCER

SUNY Ulster men reap awards

Left to right, SUNY Ulster men’s soccer players Pat Fornelos, Santiago Saavedra, Angel Rosario, Matt Urquia, Andrew Foster, Max Maouris and coach Jamal Lis-Simmons are photographed in the Senators’ team room at the Senate Gym at Stone Ridge, New York. PHOTO PROVIDED

Image

By Rick Remsnyder

rremsnyder@freemanonline.com

STONE RIDGE, N.Y. >> Kingston High product Andrew Foster earned his second straight Mid-Hudson Conference Most Valuable Player award in his sophomore season for the SUNY Ulster men’s soccer team.

Foster was earlier named the Region XV Player of the Year after leading the Senators to the Mid-Hudson Conference title and a spot in the Region XV championship game.

SUNY Ulster, which lost to Suffolk Community College 2-0 in the region final, finished with a 13-3-2 record.

Foster started all 18 games for the Senators, finishing with a team-high 13 goals and eight assists. He had five game-winning goals.

The sophomore forward finished in the top 10 in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III in points and was first in shots.

Foster totaled 31 goals and 14 assists in his two-year career with the Senators.

Foster is the first player to win back-to-back Mid-Hudson Conference Most Valuable Player awards during the career of SUNY Ulster coach Jamal Lis-Simmons. Foster is also the fifth SUNY Ulster player to win the award in the past six years.

Foster is the first player to be named the Region XV Player of the Year during the tenure of Lis-Simmons. Foster was a first-team all-region selection in 2024.

Other SUNY Ulster players named to the Mid-Hudson Conference first team were Kingston High grad Max Maouris, Ellenville High product Matt Urquia, Angel Rosario and Nick Thomaz of of Newburgh Free Academy and Santiago Saavedra of Pine Bush High.

Maouris, who started all 18 games, finished with five goals and six assists. The sophomore defender was a 2024 second-team all-conference selection. He finished his career with seven goals and 11 assists.

Urquia, a freshman midfielder, started all 18 games and finished with two goals and a team-high nine assists. He also played some key minutes at right back.

Rosario, a sophomore captain, started all 18 games for the Senators and anchored the back line for the last two seasons. His leadership played a vital role over the last two years, Lis-Simmons said.

Thomaz, a freshman midfielder, appeared in 17 games and started 11. He finished with six goals and seven assists, scoring the winning goal in the conference championship game and in the region semifinal.

Saavedra, a sophomore, started all 18 games in goal for SUNY Ulster.

He was named on the 2024 all-conference second team. Saavedra registered seven shutouts this season and finished his career with 24 starts in net.

SUNY Ulster players to earn all-region honors were Maouris (first team), Urquia (second team), Saavedra (honorable mention) and freshman midfielder Pat Fornelos (honorable mention).

Fornelos, a John Jay High of Dutchess County graduate, started all 18 games for the Senators and totaled six goals and eight assists.

Rosario was honored with the Region XV Sportsmanship award and Lis-Simmons was the Coach of the Year.