SUNYAC Releases 2023 Men's Soccer Top Conference Honors

SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The SUNYAC releases its 2023 men's soccer All-Conference teams and individual awards including the Huntley Parker Offensive Player of the Year, Fred Holloway Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coaching Staff of the Year as voted on by the conference coaches.

Huntley Parker Offensive Player of the Year - Mateo Marra, Cortland
Marra was named the SUNYAC Men's Soccer Tournament MVP after leading his team to its 20th overall conference title in 2023. He tallied seven points with two goals and three assists in the tournament including the game-winning assist against Oneonta in the championship game. He leads the conference with 10 assists, is second with 30 points and is third with 10 goals. With the conference championship win, Cortland earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III tournament.

Huntley Parker was a highly successful men's soccer coach at Brockport for 14 years, winning the SUNYAC Conference twice in 1961 and 1968, while sharing the title 1970. In 1970, Parker led Brockport to the NCAA Regional Conference Champions. Parker was inducted into the Brockport Hall of Fame in 1985, while the field at Brockport was named in his honor. Parker passed away in 2003. 

Fred Holloway Co-Defensive Player of the Year - Andrew Taylor, Brockport
Taylor started 16 games in goal for the Golden Eagles in 2023. He finished the season third in the conference with an .833 save percentage, second with 70 saves overall and fourth with a 0.88 goals against average. He ended his senior season third in the league registering six shutouts and was 8-3-4 overall. Brockport was seeded No. 2 after regular season play, but lost to No. 3 Oneonta in the semifinals, 1-0.

Fred Holloway Co-Defensive Player of the Year - John Bernardi, Oneonta
Bernardi was part of a defense that allowed just 13 goals over 20 games and registered nine shutouts overall. The Oneonta Red Dragons were No. 3 going into post season. The team advanced to the championship game, but lost to Cortland, 1-0. Oneonta received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Tournament and will travel to face Catholic University on Sat. Nov. 11 at 1:30 p.m. Washington & Lee serves as the host institution, and the first two rounds will be played in Lexington, VA, at Alston Parker Watt Field.

T. Fred "Prof" Holloway coached men's soccer at Cortland from 1936-72, guiding his program to a 191-94-23 record. His Red Dragons suffered just two losing seasons in 35 years, while his teams appeared in three NCAA tournaments and captured six SUNYAC Championships. Prof chaired the founding committee of the National Soccer Coaches Association, designed a statistical system for the selection of All America Collegiate Soccer players, and in 1958 was selected by the members of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America to receive their most coveted recognition, the Annual Honor Award. In 1987, Cortland dedicated its soccer field in his honor. Holloway passed away in 1990.

Rookie of the Year - Jordan Ott, Cortland
In 2023, Ott started all 19 games in goal for Cortland and is 15-2-2 overall so far this season. He leads the conference with 10 shutouts and is third in the league with a .65 goals against average and a .833 save percentage (60 saves). Ott led his team to the No. 1 seed and a conference championship trophy in his first season. The team will advance to the NCAA Tournament hosting Alfred State in the first round on Saturday at 11 a.m.

Coaching Staff of the Year - Cortland
Head coach Steve Axtell leads the Cortland men's soccer program and is assisted by Colby Gay, Blake Aronson, Matt Milograno and James Hofmann. Seven athletes were named All-SUNYAC including the Huntley Parker Offensive Player of the Year and the Rookie of the Year. This season, the staff led the team to its 20th overall SUNYAC title and its 25th NCAA tournament appearance (7th since 2014). The Red Dragons will host the NCAA Men's Soccer Four-Team Regional Saturday and Sunday, November 11-12. Cortland will face Alfred State in the first round Saturday at 11 a.m. Cortland is 15-2-2 overall going into NCAA play.

2023 SUNYAC Men's Soccer All-Conference Teams (PDF)