PURCHASE, N.Y. – Ahead of the start of the 2026 Skyline Conference Championship Tournament, the Manhattanville University men's soccer team earned a pair of major awards from the Skyline Conference and had four student-athletes named to the Skyline All-Conference Teams.

Tom Buckner was voted the Skyline's Coach of the Year in his inaugural season with the Valiants, while Luis Del Riego (Madrid, Spain/Rafa Nadal International) was selected as Skyline Defensive Player of the Year. Del Riego was further recognized to the Skyline All-Conference First Team, where he was joined by Alec Pineda (Yonkers, N.Y./Port Chester) and Manuel Morales (Madrid, Spain/International College Spain), while Alex Rojas (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd) represents the Valiants on the Second Team.

Buckner is the first coach to be named Conference Coach of the Year in his first season with the Valiants since 2022 when Alex Sandri received the recognition for his work leading the Manhattanville men's tennis team. Under Buckner, the Valiants secured the No. 1 seed for the Skyline Conference Championship Tournament, going 9-1-1 in conference play to support a 12-3-4 overall record. Manhattanville got off to the best start in program history to begin the 2026 campaign, going 4-0-3 over the team's first seven games. The Valiants rank 13^th in the nation in goals heading into the postseason with 49 in Buckner's first year leading the charge. Buckner is the sixth coach to win Conference Coach of the Year with the men's soccer program, the first since Steve DeMatteo in 2018 when the Valiants were in the MAC Freedom Conference.

Del Riego fronted a Manhattanville defensive unit that held opponents to 1.58 goals per game and 4.89 shots on target per contest. The senior led all players on the Valiants with 1,221 minutes on the field, even with playing just 15 games. Del Riego started each contest he appeared in and played a full 90 minutes in eight games. With Del Riego heading the backline, the Valiants posted five clean sheets over the course of the season. Del Riego also added four points offensively, scoring a goal against Sarah Lawrence on Oct. 6 alongside assists against Old Westbury (Sept. 23) and Yeshiva (Oct. 25).

Pineda earns the second All-Conference recognition of his career after making the Second Team in 2024. The senior led the Valiants with a career-high 29-point campaign, scoring 12 goals and handing out five assists. It was the highest offensive production by a Valiant since 2021 when Eli Pardo had a 29-point season on 14 goals and an assist. Pineda earned at least a point in 12 of the 18 games he played in, scoring a pair of goals in back-to-back games against Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and Sarah Lawrence on Oct. 3 and 6. He has also scored in four-straight games to enter into the postseason.

Morales was another key piece of the Valiant attack, finishing second on the team with 15 total points on five goals and five assists. The senior battled through injury to make his 12 appearances in the campaign, making 11 starts. Like Pineda, he carries a scoring streak into the postseason with goals in his last three games. Morales scored the game-winning goal against Merchant Marine on Oct. 20 and had back-to-back three-point games on Oct. 3 with three assists against Saint Joseph's Brooklyn and on Oct. 6 with a goal and an assist versus Sarah Lawrence. It is his first All-Conference selection.

Rounding out the Valiant accolades, Rojas repeats as an All-Conference honoree after making the First Team in 2025. A graduate midfielder, Rojas was one of just four Valiants to play in all 19 games this season and finished third on the team in minutes played with 1,045. Rojas had the best offensive season in his three-year tenure with the Valiants this season with seven points, scoring goals against Mount Saint Vincent (Sept. 29) and Yeshiva (Oct. 25). He also added assists against Plattsburgh, Mount Saint Mary and Yeshiva.

The Valiants earned a first-round bye into the semifinals of the 2026 Skyline Conference Championship Tournament. Manhattanville will host the winner of No. 4 Merchant Marine-No. 5 Farmingdale on Wednesday. More information will be available on govaliants.com and the Skyline Conference website.  

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