Stewart, Thorpe Headline List of Eight All-Northeast-10 Selections for Franklin Pierce
Stewart voted Conference Player of the Year, Thorpe named Freshman and Co-Goalkeeper of the Year
RINDGE, N.H. (November 18, 2004) - Graduate student Craig Stewart (Newcastle Upon Tyne, England) and freshman James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) highlight a list of eight Franklin Pierce men's soccer players to earn All-Northeast-10 Conference honors. The teams and awards were announced by the Northeast-10 Conference office today.
Stewart, the Ravens playmaking central midfielder, was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Year, while Thorpe was voted Freshman and Co-Goalkeeper of the Year by the Conference's Head Coaches.
Joining Stewart and Thorpe on the All-Northeast-10 Conference first team are graduate student Christopher Joyce (Jarrow, England) and sophomore Andre Elphic (Queens, N.Y./Springfield Gardens). Grad student Tom McNeil (Paisley, Scotland) was selected to the All-NE-10 second team, while seniors Troy McColl (Sydney, Australia) and Kyle Miller (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy) and freshman Gijs Roodbeen (Nijmegen, The Netherlands) earned third team All-Conference accolades.
Stewart, a co-captain in his second year with Franklin Pierce, ranks 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. Over the weekend in the NCAA Tournament New England Regional, Stewart was named to the All-Tournament team as he dished a pair of assists. 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 has 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.
Thorpe has 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 has 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 leads the Northeast-10 with a 0.66 goals against average, which is currently 0.35 below the program record for a single-season set by Steve Quinones (1.01) in 1988, and .831 save percentage.
Thorpe has backboned a Ravens defensive until that has yielded just 15 goals this season, which is on pace to break the single-season record of 19 goals allowed set in 1995. He has also posted the top two scoreless minute streaks in program history this season, including a record 578:52 string that was halted in Sunday's 2-2 draw with No. 3-ranked Southern Connecticut State University in the NCAA New England Regional final. The streak surpassed his own previous record mark of 518:38 set earlier in the year.
Thorpe is the first Goalkeeper of the Year in program history and the second NE-10 Freshman of the Year, joining former All-American Felix Brillant, who earned the honors in 2000.
Joyce has been the main target of most of Stewart's offensive leadership, having posted a Conference-best 52 points and 22 goals with eight assists in his first season at Franklin Pierce. He has also netted a team-best six match-winning goals and scored four of the Ravens five goals in last weekend's 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 this season are just one shy of the program record set by former two-time All-American Seamus Donnelly in 1996.
Elphic has picked up All-Conference honors for the second-straight year after earning a spot on the All-NE-10 third team as a redshirt freshman in 2003. Elphic has anchored a Ravens defensive unit, which leads the NE-10 with a program-record 16 shutouts and a 0.64 team goals against average, this fall. The Ravens are also on pace to break the program record for goals allowed in a season, currently yielding 15 markers this season - four 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 42 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 ranks second on the team in his first season with the Ravens with 28 points (4th NE-10) on nine goals (9th) and a team-high ten assists (2nd). He has also netted five match-winning goals and assisted on three other winning goals in 22 matches played this season.
Miller has picked up the second All-Conference award of his career after also earning a spot on the All-NE-10 third team as a freshman. The two-year captain has played a significant role in a Ravens defensive unit, which leads the NE-10 with a program-record 16 shutouts and a 0.64 team goals against average, this fall. The Ravens are also on pace to break the program record for goals allowed in a season, currently yielding 15 markers this season - four below the record of 19 set in 1995.
Miller has also dished four assists from the back line this fall and totaled three goals and seven assists for 13 career points in 79 matches. Miller earned a spot on the inaugural Northeast-10 All-Academic team as well as CoSIDA District I Academic All-America honors this season.
McColl earns a spot on the All-NE-10 third team for the second-straight season. The midfielder has registered two goals and eight assists (6th NE-10) for 12 points from his spot on the left side. Three of his assists have come on match-winning strikes and he also earned a spot on the inaugural NE-10 All-Academic team and earned CoSIDA District I Academic All-America honors this fall.
McColl has totaled five goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 40 matches over two seasons with the Ravens since transferring from North Country Community College where he was a Junior College All-American.
Roodbeen earns a spot on the third team after totaling five goals, including two match-winners, and an assist in his first collegiate season. He ranks third on the team in goals and sixth in points. Roodbeen netted the winning goals in wins over Saint Michael's College and Stonehill College.
Franklin Pierce (16-5-2, 10-3 NE-10) claimed its first New England Regional title last weekend with a 3-0 victory over No. 11 UMass Lowell, followed by a 3-1 decision over No. 3 Southern Connecticut State University in a penalty shootout. The Ravens will face No. 4 Dowling College on Sunday in an NCAA Quarterfinal match on Long Island at 1 p.m. The Ravens will be seeking their first Final Four appearance since 1991 with a victory.