Five Ravens Named All-New England
Stewart, Thorpe and Joyce head group as first team selections
RINDGE, N.H. (December 8, 2004) - Five members of the New England Region Champion Franklin Pierce men's soccer team were rewarded for their efforts with selections to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas NCAA Division II New England Region All-Region Teams.
Graduate students Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England) and Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) along with freshman James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) highlight a list with selections to the All-New England first team, while sophomore back Andre Elphic (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens) was named to the second team and grad student Tom McNeil (Paisley, Scotland) earned third team honors.
The five All-Region picks matches the program record set in the Ravens first NCAA season in 1988. The three first team selections are one shy of the program record set in 1993 and matched in 2003.
Stewart, the 2004 Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year, earns his first All-New England selection after also earning All-Conference honors for the first time 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 as he dished 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).
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.
Joyce, who earns his first All-Region selection after also claiming first team All-Northeast-10 honors, has been the main target of most of Stewart's offensive leadership in his first year with the Ravens. Joyce 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. He 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.
Joyce's totals from his first season with the program has already placed him 15th on the program's career scoring list and 11th 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.
Thorpe, the Northeast-10 Co-Goalkeeper and Freshman of the Year this fall, earns All-New England honors after also receiving first team All-NE-10 accolades. Thorpe enjoyed a record-breaking season as the Franklin Pierce goalkeeper in his first full season at the position after splitting time as a forward in high school and during his prep season. His Division II-high 14 shutouts shattered the program's single-season record previously held by Marno Olafson, who recorded ten clean sheets during the Ravens Final Four campaign in 1991.
Thorpe also led the Northeast-10 with a 0.68 goals against average, which is 0.33 below the previous program record for a single-season set by Steve Quinones (1.01) in 1988. He also posted the top two scoreless minute streaks in program history this season, including a record 578:52 string that was halted in the Ravens 2-2 draw with No. 3-ranked Southern Connecticut State University in the New England Regional final. The streak surpassed his own mark of 518:38 set earlier in the year.
Thorpe, the first Conference Goalkeeper of the Year and second Freshman of the Year in program history, has backboned a Ravens defensive unit that yielded a program-record low 15 goals this season, besting the previous record of 19 goals allowed set in 1995.
Elphic picks up his first All-Region selection after earning All-Conference honors for the second-straight year this fall. Elphic anchored a Ravens defensive unit, which led the NE-10 with a program-record 16 shutouts and a 0.65 team goals against average, this fall. The Ravens broke the program record for goals allowed in a season, yielding 16 markers - three below the record of 19 set in 1995.
Over Elphic's two seasons as a starter on the Ravens back line, the defensive unit has yielded 1.05 goals per match with 23 shutouts in 43 matches. This season Elphic has also stepped into the offense and totaled a goal (match-winner) and assist for three points after registering one assist in 2003.
McNeil, an All-Region and All-Northeast-10 pick in his lone season with the Ravens. ranked second on the team with 28 points (4th NE-10) on nine goals (9th) and a team-high ten assists (2nd). He also netted five match-winning goals and assisted on three other winning goals in 23 matches played this season.
McNeil netted an overtime winner with just 14-seconds left in the first overtime in a 1-0 decision over Merrimack College on October 9 and also scored the lone goal in a win over Assumption College on October 5. In Conference play, he recorded six goals and six assists for 18 points with a team-best four match-winning goals.
Franklin Pierce (16-6-2, 10-3 NE-10) 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.