Gabriel Torres Named 2017 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner’s Association East Region Player of the Year
WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia's Gabriel Torres was named the 2017 NCAA Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (CCA) East Region Player of the Year, as announced Wednesday by the organization. Torres is the first Firebird to earn this distinction in men's soccer.
Torres, who was also selected to the D2CCA All-East Region First Team, is 2nd in the nation (updated through games of November 6th) in total points and total goals, 4th in game-winning goals, and tied for 8th in total assists. He went on to play in two NCAA Division II Tournament games with the Firebirds since the NCAA statistical database was last updated, and he finished the season ranked 2nd in UDC program history for points (52), goals (20) and assists (12), and he led the entire East region with eight game-winning goals.
The Salvador, Brazil native scored at least one goal in 13 of 22 games played this season, including six multi-goal games and one hat trick in a 4-1 win vs. St. Thomas Aquinas College. Torres also had an assist in 11 different games, including two assists in UDC's 2-0 win vs. Wilmington University.
The sophomore midfielder helped UDC finish the 2017 season tied for 2nd place in school history with 15 wins on the season, set a new program record for ECC wins in a season (6), earn the program's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, and earn UDC's first ever NCAA Tournament win – a 3-0 victory over Southern Connecticut State University in the First Round.