Past Scholarship Winner named Puerto Rico Player of Year
4 Year Sergio Villanueva Scholarship recepient -Hofstra defender Richard Martinez (Highland, N.Y.) was named the Puerto Rico Men’s Soccer Player of the Year by Primera Hora newspaper for the 2010 calendar year.
Martinez earned the honor after a terrific season with the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL Conference of the United States Soccer Federation Division-2 Pro League. He helped the Islanders defeat the Los Angeles Galaxy in the CONCACAF Champions League with a 4-1 win in Los Angeles, spending much of the game marking United States national team member Landon Donavan. The Islanders finished third in the group stage of the Champions League after its upset win over the Galaxy.
In addition, the Islanders went on to capture the USSF D-2 Pro League with a 3-1 aggregate win over the Carolina RailHawks in the final round. The championship represented another big upset, as Puerto Rico finished fifth in the regular season in the USL Conference
