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Saints Take Home MAAC Men's Lacrosse Postseason Awards
May 3, 2007 EMMITSBURG, MD. - Siena College sophomore attackman Matt Girsh (Mahopac, N.Y./Mahopac) was selected as the MAAC men's lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year, while head coach Brian Brecht was named Coach of the Year announced this evening at the league's postseason awards banquet in Emmitsburg, Md. Freshman goaltender Brent Herbst (Plainview, N.Y./Plainview JFK) also earned Co-Rookie of the Year honors. A total of five Siena players were selected to an All-Conference team, as voted by the league's head coaches. Girsh, a 6'3" attackman, stands the only player in Siena lacrosse history to earn this prestigious honor. He finished the regular-season with 47 goals and 12 assists starting all 15 games. Girsh stands atop the conference and ranks second in all of Division I with a 3.13 goal per game average. He sits second in the league with a 3.93 point per game average, which also places him eight overall in the country. Girsh led the MAAC with four game winning goals this season. His eight goal performance against VMI on March 17 stands the top goal output of any player in the nation this season. Over the course of the year, Girsh received Offensive Player of the Week honors four times. In just his third year at the helm, Brecht has propelled Siena lacrosse to its first winning season since 1983. He led the Saints to their first MAAC regular-season championship as he guided them to a 7-1 league mark, the best in program history. Brecht has led a program that is ranked in the nation's top 20 in six statistical categories to its first MAAC championship berth. Siena's high powered offense stands atop the conference in goals, assists and points per game. The Saints are also ranked sixth nationally in face-off win percentage, and twelfth in win percentage and scoring margin. Herbst became just the second freshman in program history to earn Rookie of the Year honors. He shares the award with Canisius midfielder Tim Rowley and Marist's Matt Teichmann. Herbst was lights out between the pipes starting 13 games for the Saints. He posted a league best eight wins during the regular-season and topped the MAAC with a 7.76 goals against average. Herbst ranks fourth in the conference with a 55.1% save percentage. He was named Defensive Player of the Week three times and Rookie of the Week once. Sophomore defenseman Chris Viviano (New Hyde Park, N.Y./Chaminade) joined Girsh on the All-MAAC First Team. Viviano had a phenomenal year as he anchored the Saints defensive unit. He started all 15 games and finished fourth on the team with 43 groundballs. Viviano displayed his premier defensive skills throughout the year as he usually received the top defensive assignment on the field. Senior attackman Matt Donovan (Northport, N.Y./Northport) and freshman midfielder Shaun Dunn (Amityville, N.Y./Chaminade) received All-MAAC Second Team honors along with Herbst. For the second straight season, Donovan led the MAAC in assists posting 1.86 per game this year. He finished the regular-season with an impressive 51 points, which ranks second on the team. Donovan was third in the league with 3.64 points per game and fifth with 1.79 goals per game. Dunn stood fourth on the team with 26 points on the season. He shined most in man-up opportunities as he tallied a league high eight goals in these situations. Dunn also finished tied for second in the league for game winning goals. He was named Rookie of the Week twice this year. 2007 MAAC Men's Lacrosse League Awards All-MAAC First Team All-MAAC Second Team Offensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year Co-Rookies of the Year Anaconda Sports Coach of the Year
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