Four Ravens Collect NE-10 Weekly Honors
Vitulano and Thorpe earn men's soccer awards, while McConnell and Franklin honored in volleyball and women's soccer, respectively
RINDGE, N.H. (October 23, 2006) - Four Franklin Pierce student-athletes received weekly honors in their respective sports from the Northeast-10 Conference on Monday.
Junior Michel Vitulano (Montreal, Quebec/College de Maisonneuve) earned Player of the Week honors, while classmate James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) was named Goalkeeper of the Week for men's soccer. Senior Michelle McConnell (Elora, Ontario/Centre Wellington) was named the volleyball Libero of the Week, while Shona Franklin (Leicester, England) earned Freshman of the Week honors in women's soccer.
Vitulano collects Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career after leading the Franklin Pierce men's soccer team to a 2-0 week to clinch its second-straight Northeast-10 regular season championship. Vitulano led the Ravens to a key 2-1 victory at No. 12 Southern Connecticut State University on Tuesday, which clinched the top-seed for this week's NE-10 Tournament. He set up the Ravens opening goal in the 25th minute and then netted the winning goal in the 81st.
Vitulano, who also collected first team NE-10 All-Academic honors for the first time last week, is a key part of a Franklin Pierce defensive unit which leads all of Division II with a 0.35 team goals against average (six goals allowed) and 12 shutouts through 17 matches. The Ravens conceded just three goals in Conference play this season with ten shutouts in 13 NE-10 matches. Vitulano has also produced three goals (two match-winners) and an assist for seven points in 12 matches played.
Vitulano, a three-year starter as the Ravens holding midfielder, has been a key part of a defensive unit which has ranked among NCAA Division II leaders each of his three seasons. He has also contributed on offense with five goals and two assists for 12 points in 50 career matches played. Vitulano also collected ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team honors as a sophomore.
Thorpe, who earns Goalkeeper of the Week honors for the third time this season (13th career), returned after a two-match absence due to injury to stop six of the seven shots on goal he faced in a 2-0 week as the Ravens clinched their second-straight NE-10 regular season crown. He made three second half saves in Franklin Pierce's key 2-1 victory at No. 11 Southern Connecticut. Thorpe posted his Conference-leading ninth shutout of the season with three saves (all first half) in Saturday's regular season finale, a 3-0 win over the College of Saint Rose.
Thorpe leads all of Division II with a 0.34 goals against average and .906 save percentage to go with his NE-10-best nine shutouts. In 15 matches played, the Ravens are 14-0-1 and he is averaging 3.2 saves and has played 1,316:49 minutes.
Thorpe, a third team All-American in 2005, is the program's all-time leader in shutouts (34) and minutes played (5,746:55) also currently on pace to shatter the program records with his 0.67 career goals against average and .827 career save percentage. Thorpe has also collected NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year honors in 2004 & 2005 and is a two-time first team All-New England selection.
Top-seeded Franklin Pierce (15-1-1, 11-1-1 NE-10), ranked No. 4 in last week's NSCAA/adidas Division II poll and first in the New England region, is back in action tomorrow when it hosts eighth-seeded Saint Anselm College in a Northeast-10 Tournament quarterfinal at 7 p.m.
McConnell earns Libero of the Week honors for the second time this season. She helped the Franklin Pierce volleyball team to a 3-2 week, averaging 6.53 digs per game. McConnell posted a career-high 38 digs in a key 3-2 Northeast Regional victory over Bryant University on Friday. On Saturday, the senior libero posted 28 digs in a 3-0 sweep of UMass Lowell. McConnell opened the week with 20 digs in Wednesday's 3-0 win over Saint Michael's College.
This season, McConnell has played in all 24 matches and is averaging a team-high 5.46 digs per game (3rd NE-10), which ranks 29th among NCAA Division II leaders.
Franklin Pierce (16-8, 8-4 NE-10) is back on the court on Wednesday when it hosts Bryant University for a key Northeast-10 match at 7 p.m.
Franklin earns Freshman of the Week honors for the second time this season after helping lead the Franklin Pierce women's soccer team to a win in its lone match of the week. Franklin netted the match-winning goal 4:13 into the second half to spark the Ravens to a 2-0 victory at Southern Connecticut State in their regular season finale on Saturday.
Franklin is third on the team with five goals (two match-winners) and two assists for 12 points while starting all 16 of Franklin Pierce's matches in her first collegiate season. Three of her five markers this fall have been opening goals in matches.
Second-seeded Franklin Pierce (14-2-0, 12-2-0 NE-10), ranked 11th in last week's NSCAA/adidas Division II poll and second in the New England region, is back in action tomorrow when it hosts seventh-seeded Stonehill College for a Northeast-10 Tournament quarterfinal match at 4 p.m.