BOSTON, Mass. – Following the team's amazing run to the 2016 America East Regular Season Championship, the No. 13 UMass Lowell men's soccer team took home five of the league's six major awards, and had seven individuals receive All-Conference honors, as announced by the conference on Friday afternoon.
 
In the major award categories, Ivan Abramovic (Zagreb, Croatia) was named Rookie of the Year, Wuilito Fernandes (Praia, Cape Verde) received Striker of the Year accolades, Eric Martin (Danvers, Mass.) was tabbed Defender of the Year and Austin Kroll (Baltimore, Md.) garnered Goalie of the Year honors.
 
Additionally, in the program's fourth year in Division I and the America East, Head Coach Christian Figueroa and his staff guided the River Hawks to a 13-1-2 overall mark and a conference-best 5-1-1 America East record to be named the Coaching Staff of the Year. The squad soared out to the best start in program history, sitting at 10-0-2 as one of three remaining unbeaten teams­ in the country en route to a ranking at No. 13 in the final regular-season NSCAA Top 25.

"Bob, Frankie, Abel, and Keady have been outstanding all year long," said Figueroa. "They have all played an important role in the success this program has had this season. While each of them bring something different to the table, we share the same philosophy, and that has been a big reason for the success. I can't thank them enough for all of the work they have put into helping this program success during our Division I transition. We are extremely fortunate to have coaches who are not just very knowledgeable, but are great people, involved with UMass Lowell Men's Soccer. 
 
The honor is the first major award for the staff since Figueroa was named the Northeast-10 Coach of the Year in 2011.
 
In his first season on the field as a River Hawk, Abramovic took the field by storm, scoring nine goals and adding a team-high eight assists for 26 points. The redshirt-freshman tallied six game-winning goals and registered three multi-goal games, while recording points in 12 of 16 games on the year. His game-winning tally against St Francis Brooklyn on September 4 was named the number four play on that night's Sportscenter Top 10.

"Ivan had as good of a season a newcomer could have," continued Figueroa. "His work rate is undeniably one of his best attributes, but his maturity and ability to adjust has been absolute class. Scoring nine goals at this level is always a challenge, but scoring 6 game winners is what really stands out. He has been a player that has stood out in key moments and has come through each time. We're looking forward to seeing Ivan grow as a player and a person over the next few years." 
 
This is the second America East Rookie of the Year honor for UMass Lowell, and first since Kroll was named Co-Rookie of the Year in 2014. Throughout the 2016 campaign, the Zagreb, Croatia native was named the America East Rookie of the Week five times, and earned a spot on the College Soccer News National Team of the Week in October.
 
On the way to his first America East Striker of the Year award, Fernandes set career highs with 11 goals, five assists and 27 points. He led the team in goals and total points, while ranking second and third respectively, and led the America East with 1.69 goals per game. The senior tallied five game-winning goals, and will finish his career in eighth all-time with 60 points and 25 scores.

"Wuilito had, in my opinion, one of the best seasons a striker has had here at UMass Lowell," commented Figueroa. "Not because of his numbers, but because of how he got himself up to speed entering the season. To come off the bench for the first seven games of the year and still have the impact he did was remarkable. Once he was fully healthy, we knew what he was capable of, and he's a big reason for our success this year. I couldn't be happier for Wuilito to receive this well deserved recognition."
 
The three-time captain earned one America East Player of the Week honor this season, and was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week three times. Fernandes became the sixth individual player to score 10 or more goals in a single season in a UMass Lowell uniform, and finished the year in a tie for third all-time with his 11.
 
The UMass Lowell back line of Martin and Kroll led the way to six shutouts and the lowest goals against average in the conference at 0.71. Between the pipes, Kroll recorded a 0.62 goals against average and a .804 save percentage to lead the conference, while his five shutouts ranked tied for fourth. The junior's 11 wins on the year tied the fifth-best single season mark in program-history and moved him into sole possession of third for all-time wins with 26.

"Eric has been a corner stone of our defense over the last three years," remarked Figueroa." He was a big reason we were able to limit the amount of shots our team faced all year. His leadership on the field has been just as influential as his leadership off the field. Eric is a player who has played several roles for us over the four years, but has played each of them exceptionally well. He's put the team success before his personal success, so I'm very happy to see him receive this recognition." 

Fernandes, Martin and Kroll were all named to the All-Conference First Team, as well, and were joined by their teammate sophomore Jakov Basic (Zagreb, Croatia). The sophomore was a mainstay in the River Hawks' midfield, making all 16 starts and recording one assist in the win at Monmouth.

"Austin has done nothing but improve since arriving in 2014. He's a guy who bought into what this program is capable of while we were recruiting him. Austin has worked hard to make himself the type of player this program needs. His leadership role has grown over the last year and has helped his ability to control the defensive line in front of him. As a unit, Austin and our back line worked incredibly well together this year. A much deserved award for Austin." 
 
This was the first season since 2014 with multiple UMass Lowell players on the All-Conference First Team, and is the most since joining the conference. Fernandes picked up his third honor, while this marked the first time for the others.
 
Freshman Dario Jovanovski (Zagreb, Croatia) was named to the All-Conference Second Team to join Abramovic on the list. Jovanovski tied his countryman atop the team ranks with eight assists, including one in each of the last four games.
 
The duo was joined by Joe Kellett (Norfolk, Mass.) on the America East All-Rookie Team, as the River Hawks had multiple players on that team for the third time in four years. Kellett started all 16 games and was only off the field for a total of 12 minutes during his freshman campaign. The midfielder tallied the game-winning goal against Vermont on Oct. 8 and had an assist on the game-winning goal against Boston College later in the month.
 
For the first time since 2014, UMass Lowell had a player on the All-Academic Team, as well, as Kroll earned a spot with his 3.35 GPA in business administration.

The seven honorees marks the most the River Hawks have had in one season, surpassing the six Northeast-10 All-Conference members in 2011.