10/25/23
 
MSOC: Ramírez Named POTY, Three Falcons Named To All-Region Status
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The postseason beckons, but Lackawanna College men's soccer already has plenty to celebrate from the 2023 regular season campaign, with the release of the Region XIX Division I and II All-Region selections late Tuesday evening.
 
The Falcons had three players selected to the team, and had the program's first ever Player of the Year selected, as midfielder Guillermo Ramírez (First Year; Valencia, Venezuela) was chosen as the top player in Divisions I and II by the Region XIX coaches. Also chosen to the All-Region squad were midfielder Ermir Hoti (First Year; Gjakova, Kosovo) and forward Edilson Lopes (Sophomore; Taylor, PA).
 
Ramírez was fourth on the team with four goals and an assist, but set the table for the Falcons in the midfield, constantly helping Lackawanna link up play from the defensive third to the attacking third, a major engine driving Lackawanna's 41 team goals on the year.
 
Hoti led the Falcons this year with ten goals and four assists. Hoti was the deadball striker for Lackawanna this season, always dangerous when given the time and space to operate, and, similar to Ramírez, he excels at setting up his teammates.
 
Lopes, a Scranton Prep product, had a goal and two assists this year, but is one of the team leaders on this year's squad, and covers a lot of ground throughout the match, roaming from end to end as an attacking mid/forward.
 
Lackawanna (7-4-1), for the second time in as many years, has won its most games in a season in program history. Coach Zachary Shiposh and company now turn their collective sights on the Region XIX DII tournament, which the Falcons enter as the #2 seed. They'll take on the defending District champion from last year, Massasoit Community College, at 12:30pm ET on Saturday, October 28^th, out at Mercer County CC in West Windsor Twp., NJ. The winner will play the victor of the first game, between top-seeded Mercer and four-seed Essex County, on Sunday, October 29^th, in a Region XIX championship match at noon at Mercer County CC.
 
The full NJCAA Region XIX DI/DII All-Region Selections are:
 
Guillermo Ramírez (MID) – Lackawanna College*
Dillon Du Troit (DEF) – Mercer County CC
Ermir Hoti (MID) – Lackawanna College
Diego Romero (DEF) – Harcum College
Jaiden Miller (DEF) – Essex County
Alejandro Sanchez (MID) – Harcum College
Teddy Nkamanyi (FWD) – Mercer County CC
Mackenzie Mason (DEF) – Harcum College
Edilson Lopes (FWD) – Lackawanna College
Omolemo Matla (MID) – Mercer County CC
No Goalkeeper Nominated