EDISON, NJ (Nov. 6, 2023) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) today announced the 2023 Men’s Soccer Major Award winners and All-MAAC Teams, voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches. Headlining MAAC postseason major awards and All-MAAC Teams was regular season champion, Iona University.
Leading the way for the Gaels was 2023 MAAC Golden Boot winner Camil Azzam Ruiz. A graduate forward from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain, Azzam Ruiz was one of the nation’s most electrifying scorers in 2023, tallying 31 points off of 14 goals and three assists. He led the country in goals, goals per game (1.08), points per game (2.38), shots per game (5.08), and shots on goal average (3.15), while ranking third in the nation in points and sixth in shot accuracy. Additionally, Azzam Ruiz’s assists total ranked tied for eighth on the MAAC leaderboard and his assists average was tied for ninth. The two-time MAAC Offensive Player of the Week, recorded Iona’s first hat trick in a decade, when he scored a trio of goals against Stony Brook on August 28. Azzam Ruiz is the first Offensive Player of the Year for the Gaels since 2015 and seventh overall since 1983.
Tim Timchenko of Iona was selected as the 2023 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Timchenko appeared in all 14 matches for the MAAC Regular Season champion, Iona Gaels, making 13 starts on the backline. The Kyiv, Ukraine native anchored a defense that allowed a league-best 13 total goals in 14 games and tied for a league-low eight goals allowed in MAAC contests. Timchenko was also a key member of a defense that recorded four clean sheets in 2023, leading the Gaels to nine MAAC wins, the most in program history. He is the second Defensive Player of the Year in program history, joining 2019 honoree Malcolm Moreno.
Iona goalkeeper, Nacho Alfaro Monge, was chosen as the 2023 Golden Glove. The first ever Gael to win the MAAC goalkeeper of the year honor, Alfaro Monge logged 1158:17 minutes in the net and was the conference leader in goals against average (1.010). Hailing from Heredia, Costa Rica, he ranked tied for second in save percentage, tied for fifth in shutouts, ninth in saves average, and 10
th in total saves among MAAC keepers. Alfaro Monge won a league-best 10 overall games in goal and earned three total clean sheets in 2023.
Iona Gaels head coach, James Hamilton garnered 2023 MAAC Coach of the Year honors. He is the third coach from Iona to be chosen as the league’s top coach, joining Fernando Barboto (2009) and Bobby Herodes (1995). Hamilton’s Gaels clinched the MAAC Regular Season championship after finishing the season with a league-best 27 points, recording a 9-1 MAAC mark and 11-3 overall record, securing just the second regular season trophy in program history; the other coming back in 2009. The nine conference victories were the most ever in a season for Iona and his team became the first MAAC team with nine league wins and 27 points in a season since Saint Peter’s in 2019. Under Hamilton’s guidance this season, Iona was a perfect 5-0 at Mazzella Field in New Rochelle, New York and his team won 10 out of its last 11 matches to close the regular season.
Rider’s freshman Saad Chaouki was voted as the 2023 MAAC Rookie of the Year. The midfielder from Montreal, Quebec, scored two goals and dished out five assists, totaling nine points this season. His assists total and assists per game average both ranked fifth on the MAAC leaderboard. Chaouki was named MAAC Rookie of the Week on September 11 following a two-assists performance. Chaouki becomes the fourth overall Rookie of the Year from Rider, the first since 2014.
Iona and Rider led the way with eight All-MAAC selections each, with the Gaels boasting a league-high five members on the first team and the Broncs placing four on the first team. Manhattan and Siena followed with six all-conference honorees apiece.
The full list of All-MAAC Teams and major awards winners are below.
| 2023 Men’s Soccer Major Awards |
| Awards |
Player |
School |
| Golden Boot |
Camil Azzam Ruiz |
Iona |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Tim Timchenko |
Iona |
| Golden Glove |
Nacho Alfaro Monge |
Iona |
| Rookie of the Year |
Saad Chaouki |
Rider |
| Coach of the Year |
James Hamilton |
Iona |
| All-MAAC First Team |
| Player |
Class |
Position |
School |
| Camil Azzam Ruiz* |
Gr. |
Forward |
Iona |
| Gunnar Studenhofft |
Jr. |
Forward |
Manhattan |
| Babacar Diene |
Sr. |
Forward |
Rider |
| Thiago Cagna |
Jr. |
Midfield |
Iona |
| Saad Chaouki |
Fr. |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Momo Diop |
So. |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Adel Al Masude |
Sr. |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Tom Fillaudeau |
So. |
Defense |
Iona |
| Tim Timchenko |
Jr. |
Defense |
Iona |
| Nassim Akki |
So. |
Defense |
Manhattan |
| Nacho Alfaro Monge |
Jr. |
Goalkeeper |
Iona |
| All-MAAC Second Team |
| Player |
Class |
Position |
School |
| Aly Camara |
Sr. |
Forward |
Iona |
| Brage Aasen |
5Y. |
Forward |
Quinnipiac |
| Junior Kone |
Sr. |
Forward |
Siena |
| Lans Bovenberg |
Gr. |
Midfield |
Iona |
| Sergio Gonzalez Fernandez |
So. |
Midfield |
Iona |
| Henry Hamilton |
So. |
Midfield |
Manhattan |
| Zach Gardner |
Jr. |
Midfield |
Siena |
| Demarre Montoute |
Gr. |
Defense |
Marist |
| Sebastian Rojek |
Gr. |
Defense |
Rider |
| Henrik Winkelmann |
Jr. |
Defense |
Siena |
| Danny DiMarco |
Sr. |
Goalkeeper |
Manhattan |
| Bennet Glinder |
Fr. |
Goalkeeper |
Siena |
| All-MAAC Third Team |
| Player |
Class |
Position |
School |
| Sebastiano Musu |
Sr. |
Forward |
Manhattan |
| Jared Juleau |
Sr. |
Forward |
Marist |
| Bilal Hersi |
Sr. |
Forward |
Siena |
| Ayoub Boumelala |
So. |
Midfield |
Manhattan |
| Skyler Cuhna |
So. |
Midfield |
Marist |
| Junee Lee |
Fr. |
Midfield |
Mount St. Mary's |
| Ethan Shaw |
Gr. |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Ben Biton |
Fr. |
Midfield |
Siena |
| Cody Read |
So. |
Defense |
Fairfield |
| Martin Chladek |
Jr. |
Defense |
Rider |
| Jack McGeechan |
Jr. |
Defense |
Rider |
| Tom Climpson |
Gr. |
Defense |
Saint Peter's |
| Jamie Barry |
So. |
Goalkeeper |
Niagara |
Denotes unanimous selection*
The 2023 MAAC Men's Soccer Championship will take place from November 5-12. The six-team, single-elimination championship will be hosted by the higher seed of each match. The opening round will take place on Sunday, November 5, followed by the semifinals on Thursday, November 9, and concluding with the championship match on Sunday, November 12. For all information regarding the 2023 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/msoc.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
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