Brillant, Koschnitzki, Schwarz and Takefusa head list with first team selections

RINDGE, N.H. (November 4, 2002) - Six members of the Franklin Pierce men's soccer team earned All-Northeast-10 Conference honors as voted by the Conference coaches. The announcement was made today by the Northeast-10 Conference headquarters.

Grad students Wolfgang Koschnitzki (Eschborn, Germany) and Chris Schwarz (Babenhausen, Germany) along with juniors Felix Brillant (Montreal, Quebec/College Francais) and Bjorgolfor Takefusa (Reykjavik, Iceland) all earned first team All-Northeast-10 selections.

Koschnitzki has started every game in the back for the Ravens over the last three seasons. A three-time All-Northeast-10 Conference and two-time All-New England selection, he is regarded among the top marking backs in all of Division II and this season led a Ravens defensive unit that posted four shutouts and yielded just 1.42 goals per match.

Koschnitzki is an exemplary student-athlete as he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in sport and leisure service management in December 2001 and earned the first ever Richard Burns Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award at Franklin Pierce as well as Verizon District I Academic All-America and NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America accolades last season.

Schwarz, a mainstay at midfield for the Ravens the last four years, earns his fourth All-Conference pick (third NE-10). Regarded as one of the top left-footed players in the country, Schwarz totaled 15 points on five goals and five assists for Franklin Pierce this fall.

A three-time All-New England selection, Schwarz ranks tenth in program history with 81 career points and ninth with 28 career goals and 25 career assists. Schwarz was named the College's Walter Peterson Male Student-Athlete of the Year last spring and also earned Verizon District I Academic All-America and NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America honors last season.

Brillant overcame a midseason hamstring injury to help lead the Ravens to their third-straight NE-10 semifinal appearance. The former All-American and superb playmaker totaled ten points on three goals and four assists in 14 matches played this season.

Brillant is a three-time All-NE-10 and All-New England selection. As a freshman he copped NE-10 Freshman of the Year honors as well as All-America status. His 34 career points are currently good for 22nd in program history and he enters his senior season at the College ranked tenth with 20 career assists.

Takefusa earns All-Northeast-10 Conference honors for the second-straight season as he has established himself as one of the top scorers in the New England region. Takefusa ranks third in the NE-10 this season with a team-high 35 points and second with a team-leading 14 goals (four game winners) to go along with a team-best seven assists which ranks eighth in the NE-10.

Takefusa, an All-New England selection last season and Verizon Academic All-America candidate, ranks 11th in program history with 73 career points and seventh all-time with 32 career goals.

Senior midfielder Tate Travis (Detroit, Mich./UC Santa Barbara), after earning third team All-Northeast-10 honors his first two years at the College, has earned a spot on the All-Conference second team this season.

Travis led the Ravens in scoring for most of the season as he totaled 17 points with seven goals and three assists. He wrapped up his career at Franklin Pierce ranked 14th in program history with 53 career points and 12th with 21 goals.

Freshman forward Evan Luster (Newington, Conn./Newington) was voted to the All-Northeast-10 third team. An offensive sparkplug off the bench for the Ravens this season, Luster totaled ten points with three goals (one game winner) and four assists in just 12 matches (two starts). He made his collegiate debut in Franklin Pierce's 6-3 win over College of Saint Rose and totaled four points with a goal and two assists and later netted the game-winning goal with just 2:28 remaining in regulation in a key Conference match at Le Moyne College.

Franklin Pierce wrapped up its 2002 season with a 10-5-4 record overall, 6-3-4 in Northeast-10 play. The Ravens advanced to the NE-10 Tournament semifinals for the third-straight year since joining the Conference in 2000.