Thorpe Featured in SI’s “Faces in the Crowd”
East Longmeadow, Mass., native included in December 13 issue of Sports Illustrated which hits newsstands Monday
RINDGE, N.H. (December 10, 2004) - Franklin Pierce freshman goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow, Mass./Bridgton Academy) is featured in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the December 13th issue Sports Illustrated which hits newsstands Monday.
Thorpe is the sixth individual from Franklin Pierce to be featured in "Faces in the Crowd," the first with direct ties to the men's soccer team. Women's soccer Head Coach Jeff Bailey was featured following the Ravens fifth National Championship season in 1999, but is also a former member of the men's soccer team. Others who have been included in "Faces in the Crowd" from the College are women's soccer All-Americans Meghan Welcome (12/15/03), Pauliina Miettinen (11/10/97) and Nathalie Geeris (12/26/94) along with men's basketball Hall of Famer Bob Szklarz (1968).
Thorpe, honored for his record-breaking season in the Ravens goal, earned Northeast-10 Conference Co-Goalkeeper and Freshman of the Year honors as well as All-New England and All-Conference accolades following his first full season at the position after splitting time as a forward at Springfield Cathedral High School and Bridgton Academy (Maine).
Thorpe's 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. He 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.
Thorpe posted the top two scoreless minute streaks in program history this fall, 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, 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.
Franklin Pierce (16-6-2, 10-3 NE-10), ranked No. 10 in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (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.