Brillant, Schwarz and Takefusa head list of NSCAA/adidas All-New England picks

RINDGE, N.H. (December 10, 2002) - Four members of the Franklin Pierce men's soccer team earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas All-New England status. The announcement was made today by the NSCAA based on a vote of NSCAA members in the New England region.

Grad student Chris Schwarz (Babenhausen, Germany) and juniors Felix Brillant (Montreal, Quebec/College Francais) and Bjorgolfor Takefusa (Reykjavik, Iceland) were named to the All-New England first team, while grad student Wolfgang Koschnitzki (Eschborn, Germany) was picked to the second team.

Schwarz, a mainstay at midfield for the Ravens the last four years, is a four-time All-Conference pick (three All-NE-10) and earns his third-straight All-New England selection. 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 former New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Rookie of the Year, Schwarz ranks tenth in program history with 81 career points and ninth with 28 career goals and 25 career assists.

Schwarz earned a Bachelor's Degree in management in December 2001 with a 3.64 cumulative grade point average and has earned first team Verizon District I Academic All-America accolades the last two years. He was named the College's Walter Peterson Male Student-Athlete of the Year last spring and is an NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-American.

Brillant, the Ravens flashy playmaker in the central midfield, earns All-New England honors for the third-straight year. Also a three-time All-Northeast-10 selection, Brillant totaled ten points this fall with three goals and four assists despite missing five matches in the middle of the season with a hamstring injury.

The 2000 NE-10 Freshman of the Year and All-American enters his senior season ranked 22nd in program history with 34 career points, while his 20 career assists is good for 11th.

Takefusa, a two-time All-New England and All-Northeast-10 selection, has established himself as one of the premier goal scorers in the region. Takefusa finished the season ranked third in the NE-10 with a team-best 35 points and second with a team-high 14 goals (four match-winners) to go along with a team-leading seven assists, which ranked eighth in the Conference.

Takefusa enters his senior year ranked 11th in program history with 73 career points and seventh all-time with 32 career goals.

Koschnitzki, a three-time All-Northeast-10 and All-New England selection, has started every game in the back for the Ravens over the last three seasons. Regarded among the top marking backs around, Koschnitzki led a Ravens defensive unit that posted four shutouts and yielded just 1.42 goals per match this fall.

Koschnitzki is an exemplary student-athlete as he graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.79 cumulative grade point average) with a degree in sport and leisure service management in December 2001. He earned the first ever Richard Burns Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award at Franklin Pierce and is a two-time first team Verizon District I Academic All-America selection and an NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-American.

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