Lee Dennis of Chocorua One of Two Southern Vermont Players to Garner 2017 All-NECC Men's Soccer Accolades

2017 Nov 8

The New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) released its 2017 men's soccer awards and all-league accolades on Tuesday with Southern Vermont College's Lee Dennis (Chocorua, N.H.) collecting one of the Conference's honors.

SVC freshman forward Jared Lacoste was voted onto the All-NECC Second Team while sophomore captain Lee Dennis was named to the NECC All-sportsmanship Team.

Lacoste was one of the top offensive players in the league as his team-leading eight goals on the season ranked fifth for NECC players. He also added a pair of assists for a total of 18 points during the year. One of the rookie's goals was a game winner-helping SVC notch a 3-2 victory over Johnson State College on September 21.

"I'm extremely pleased with the work Jared put in over the last 12 months," SVC second-year head coach Greg Gilmore '12 said. "He fights for everything, and any recognition he receives is always well-earned. When we talk about the future here, Jared is a great example of that as he was one of the league's top goal scorers despite playing half the season in a cast. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes in the years to come."

Dennis was a consistently-solid player in the midfield for Southern Vermont as he brought a toughness to the defensive side of the ball while also helping create offensive opportunities at the other end of the pitch. He had two goals and an assist on the year with both scores coming in different 3-2 Mountaineer wins. The sophomore captain provided valuable leadership to SVC in all facets of the season and displayed great sportsmanship through his actions; that was show, in part, with the fact that Dennis received only one yellow card during the year despite his hard-nosed style of play.

"Lee goes in on tackles to win them," Gilmore commented. "He isn't afraid to be physical, but he never loses his cool in the process. He's a good example of composure while still being able to play aggressively."

The All-NECC teams and major award recipients are based on voting from league coaches which took place after the end of the regular season and before the start of the postseason tournament.