Velleca, Muriel Albino Earn All-NEC Honors
Blue Devils duo named to All-Northeast Conference Second Team, Muriel Albino named to NEC All-Rookie Team.
Central Connecticut had a pair of men's soccer standouts earn All-Northeast Conference recognition at the pre-tournament banquet held on the eve of the postseason tournament in Brooklyn, NY. Senior Nick Velleca and freshman Andres Muriel Albino were both named to the All-NEC Second Team, while Muriel Albino was also selected to the All-Rookie Team.
COMPLETE NEC AWARD WINNERS LIST
Velleca started 14 games between the goalposts for CCSU in 2016. In conference play, he made a league-high 7.2 saves per game and ranked second with 36 saves overall. He made a season-high 11 saves at LIU Brooklyn on Oct. 9 and had eight sves in a 2-1 win over Sacred Heart on Oct. 16.
On the year, Velleca finished with a career-high 59 saves and 1007:10 minutes played. He started and played the first half in CCSU's 0-0 draw with Howard on Sept. 14. He ranked third in the NEC in all games in saves made.
Muriel Albino was one of only two freshmen in the league to be named All-NEC and All-Rookie. The midfielder started all 17 games for Central and ranked second on the team in goals (two) and third in points (five). A dangerous attacking player, he took a team-high 44 shots, placing 18 on goal. In league play he ranked fourth with 23 shots and had the Blue Devils' lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Fairleigh Dickinson on Oct. 23.
