Ravens duo mark second-straight year program has produced two All-Americans

RINDGE, N.H. (December 16, 2004) - Two members of the New England Region Champion Franklin Pierce men's soccer team were rewarded for their efforts with spots on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas NCAA Division II All-America Teams.

Graduate students Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) and Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England) picked up the awards, marking the second-straight year Franklin Pierce has produced two All-Americans.

Joyce, just the fifth first-team All-American in program history, also earned first team All-New England and All-Northeast-10 Conference honors in his first season at Franklin Pierce. He posted a Conference-best 52 points and 22 goals to go with eight assists, which ranked second on the team and third in the NE-10, for the Ravens this fall. Joyce also netted a team-best six match-winning goals and scored four of the Ravens five goals in the NCAA New England Regional to earn Most Outstanding Offensive Player honors at the event.

Joyce also netted four goals in the opening 40-minutes of an 8-0 win over the College of Saint Rose (September 14), which was just a marker shy of the program's single-game record accomplished on three occasions.

Joyce's totals from this season have already placed him 15^th on the program's career scoring list and 11^th on the all-time goals list. His six match-winning goals fell just one shy of the program record set by former two-time All-American Seamus Donnelly in 1996. Joyce also received the Select Sports Gold Ball for leading the Northeast-10 with 13 goals in 12 Conference matches this season.       

Stewart, the 2004 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, earns his first All-America award with a spot on the third team after also claiming first team All-New England and All-Conference honors earlier this fall. The Ravens co-captain ranked third on the team with 17 points on five goals and seven assists while serving as the "quarterback" of the Ravens offense from his central midfield position.

Stewart was named to the All-Tournament team at the NCAA New England Regional, dishing a pair of assists as the Ravens claimed their first regional crown. He is the first Franklin Pierce player to earn NE-10 Player of the Year honors in the five seasons since the College joined the Conference in 2000 and is the fourth Conference Player of the Year in the program's NCAA era (since 1988). Stewart also received the fourth annual Jeff Burstein Award as the Ravens man-of-the-match in their regular-season encounter with UMass Lowell.

In his two seasons with Franklin Pierce, Stewart totaled eight goals and eight assists for 24 points over 36 matches. In an injury shortened 2003 season, he registered three goals and an assist for seven points in 13 games.

Franklin Pierce (16-6-2, 10-3 NE-10), ranked No. 10 in the final NSCAA/adidas Division II poll, is coming off its tenth NCAA Tournament campaign in program history. The Ravens claimed their first New England Regional title, advancing to the quarterfinal round for the first time since 1995. Franklin Pierce also reached the Northeast-10 Championship match for the first time since joining the Conference prior to the 2000 season.