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Somerset, NJ -- For the second year in a row, Monmouth senior midfielder Ryan Kinne (Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck) was awarded Northeast Conference (NEC) Men’s Soccer Player of the Year honors in a vote by league head coaches. Sacred Heart sophomore defender Marcello Castro (Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa) earned NEC Defensive Player of the Year accolades, while Robert Morris freshman midfielder Daniel Calabretta (Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d’Youville) claimed the NEC Rookie of the Year award. Sacred Heart’s Joe Barroso was voted NEC Coach of the Year by his peers.
On the eve of the NEC Men’s Soccer Tournament, the awards were announced at a banquet held on the campus of tourney host Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ on Thursday evening. In Friday’s semifinals at the Great Lawn, top-seeded Monmouth entertains #4 seed Fairleigh Dickinson at 11:00 am, followed by #2 seed Saint Francis (PA) facing #3 seed Sacred Heart at 1:30 pm. The championship match is slated for Sunday, November 14 at 12:00 pm. The winner of the NEC championship will claim the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. First round NCAA action begins on November 18 at campus sites.
Kinne is the sixth player in conference history to walk away with back-to-back NEC Player of the Year honors, joining Monmouth’s Joni Kallioinen (1990-91), St. Francis (NY)’s Duke Shamo (1997-98), UMBC’s Giuliano Celenza (1999-00), CCSU’s Alex Harrison (2004-05) and Quinnipiac’s Graciano Brito (2007-08). After earning first team NSCAA All-American honors as a junior, Kinne was named to the Hermann Trophy Watch List prior to the start of the 2010 campaign. He has more than lived up to expectations for the Hawks, who have been ranked as high as #4 and no lower than 13th in the nation all season long in the NSCAA/HendrickCars.com poll. A two-time adidas/NEC Player of the Week, Kinne is the straw that stirs the drink for the nation’s 17th-ranked scoring offense. The Naugatuck, CT native enters the postseason with an NEC-best 29 points, and ranks second on the circuit with 12 goals. On a larger scale, the three-time first team All-NEC midfielder is the nation’s 10th-leading point producer and ranks 11th in goals per game. Over the course of his storied career, he has amassed 35 goals and is the NEC’s active leader with 20 assists and 90 points. Kinne, who has been a member of four straight NEC regular season championship teams and won an NEC Tournament championship in 2009, is one of three Monmouth players to claim NEC Player of the Year honors, joining Kallioinen and Steven Holloway (2006).
Castro becomes the first Sacred Heart player to be honored with a major year-end award after serving as the ringleader of one of NEC’s top defensive units. The Pioneers have allowed just 19 goals in 18 matches on the year and have posted seven shutouts. In league play, Sacred Heart permitted a mere seven goals in ten matches and tied for the league lead with six clean sheets. In three regular season matches against the NEC Tournament field, the Pioneers yielded just two markers and limited those opponents to a combined 15 shots on goal. What separates the native of Parana, Brazil from many of his peers, however, is his ability to push up and contribute offensively. He leads the Pioneers with five goals and 12 points on the year, including two game-winning tallies. Castro, who was named adidas/Northeast Conference Player of the Week on September 13 after leading Sacred Heart to wins over Siena and Adelphi, was also tabbed to the All-NEC first team.
Calabretta is but one of a host of talented young players on the offensive side of the ball for a Robert Morris team that posted the NEC’s biggest turnaround in 2010. The Colonials, who raised their win total from three to nine and narrowly missed out on an NEC playoff bid, received major contributions from Calabretta, who made a name for himself over the course of one weekend in late October. The Brampton, Ontario product scored the game-winning goals in a pair of 1-0 victories over St. Francis (NY) and Long Island that lifted the Colonials into playoff contention. Calabretta finished the year ranked second on Robert Morris with four goals and nine points. His three game-winning tallies have left him tied for third in the NEC. Calabretta is the first Robert Morris player in the 25-year history of the award to be voted NEC Rookie of the Year.
Barroso’s masterful job with a youthful squad that featured up to seven underclassmen in his starting lineup did not go unnoticed by the his coaching peers. Predicted to finish sixth in the preseason poll, the Pioneers started the year red-hot, winning their first four matches. Following a pair of one-goal setbacks, Sacred Heart ran off four more victories, including three in a row to begin NEC play. By year’s end, the Pioneers had posted their best-ever NEC record (6-2-2) and established a single-season program record with 11 victories. Sacred Heart now enters the postseason for the third time under Barosso, and with its highest-ever (#2) tournament seed. The recurring theme on all of Barroso’s teams is their commitment to lockdown defense, which has resulted in four straight seasons with Sacred Heart being ranked in the NEC top-three in fewest goals allowed. Barroso is Sacred Heart’s first-ever NEC Coach of the Year honoree.
Regular season champion Monmouth boasts four All-NEC first team honorees and six overall. Along with Kinne, the Hawks’ midfield features sophomore Ryan Clark (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township), a local product who earns his second straight first team All-NEC accolade. Clark is tied with Kinne for the team lead and ranks fifth in the league with five assists. He is also Monmouth’s second-leading point producer (11) and contributed three goals over the course of the regular season. Junior defender R.J. Allen (Old Bridge, NJ/St. Joseph’s) is a mainstay on Monmouth’s formidable back line. A second team award recipient a year ago, Allen is also a key contributor on the offensive end, with two goals and four assists on the year. Both of his goals were game-winners in victories over CCSU and Robert Morris. Allen now has 18 assists over his first three years in West Long Branch. Working hand-in-hand with Allen on the nation’s fifth-ranked defensive unit is senior keeper Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood), one of three New Jersey products on the Hawks to collect first team All-NEC plaudits. Meredith, who made a name for himself with a pair of penalty kick saves in Monmouth’s shootout win over UConn in last year’s NCAA Tournament, has been nearly impenetrable all season long. He has permitted just nine goals in 17 matches and posted a league-best nine shutouts. Meredith currently paces the NEC with a 0.51 goals against average and .842 save percentage, figures which rank him seventh and 15th, respectively, in Division I. This is his second straight all-NEC honor, having been named to the second team in 2009.
Mount St. Mary’s features a pair of veteran standouts who are no strangers to postseason honors. Junior forward Chris Wheeler (Newcastle, Australia/St. Francis Xavier) is a former NEC Rookie of the Year and now three-time All-NEC performer who has built a well-earned reputation as one of the nation’s most prolific goal scorers. Wheeler ended the regular season as the NEC leader with 13 goals and ranks second in points (28). Across all of Division I, he stands 10th in goals per game and 15th in points per game. Over his three years, Wheeler’s 33 career goals rank him fourth in Mount history, while his 72 career points are the seventh most in program annals. Senior midfielder Eric Detzel (York, PA/Central York), a second team all-star in 2009, wrapped the regular season tied for the league lead with eight assists. He also ranks seventh on the circuit with 14 points. Detzel closed out his career tied for sixth on the Mount career chart with 17 assists. The York, PA native was named to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District first team in early November.
Though just a sophomore, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Dominic Reinold (Wesseling, Germany/Gesamtschule Rodenkirchen) has already developed into one of the league’s most feared strikers. The 2009 NEC Rookie of the Year and two-time first team all-star has tallied a league-best six game-winning goals for the Knights, who are headed to the postseason for the 12th time in the last 14 years. Reinold, a two-time adidas/NEC Player of the Week, ranks third on the circuit in goals (nine), fourth in points (22) and ninth in assists (four). Over his first two seasons, he has accumulated 21 goals, eight assists and 50 points.
Saint Francis (PA) senior forward Patrick Fleming (Dunedin, New Zealand/Bayfield) is the first Red Flash player to be named to the All-NEC first team since Bryan Maguire back in 2007. He entered his senior year with 24 career points, then proceeded to match that total over 16 regular season matches in helping Saint Francis to a #3 seed in the NEC Tournament. Fleming, who scored or assisted on nearly half of the Red Flash’s goals this season, is tied for the league lead with eight helpers, and also ranks third in points (24) and fourth in goals (eight). He also ranks in the top-20 in the nation in both assists and points per game. Fleming also excels in the classroom and was recently selected to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District first team.
Central Connecticut State senior defender Robert Cavener (Tynemouth, England/Norham) is now a three-time All-NEC honoree and makes his second straight appearance on the first team lineup. Previously honored for his work in the midfield, Cavener made the successful transition to defender this past season without sacrificing his offensive contributions. Cavener led the Blue Devils with three goals, four assists and 10 points on the year. He was also tabbed to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District first team.
Long Island junior midfielder Steve Jakubowski (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford) rounds out the All-NEC first team. A consistent performer throughout his career, this season marks his elevation to league all-star after ranking third in the NEC with six assists during the regular season. Jakubowski also contributed four goals and a team-high 14 points. The West Deptford, NJ product has ranked first or second on Long Island in scoring in each of his three seasons and will enter his senior year with 42 career points.
Monmouth, Quinnipiac and Robert Morris each had two players recognized on the All-NEC second team for their performances this season.
Monmouth junior Max Hamilton (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) joins fellow all-stars Kinne and Clark on one of the league’s elite midfield units. A second team all-leaguer for the second year in a row, Hamilton registered a pair of assists from his center mid spot and helped shut down the opposition’s attack along with senior Anthony Vazquez (Belford, NJ/Middletown North (St. John’s), a first time honoree. From his central defender position, Vazquez led a defense that permitted just five goals in conference play and ten all season. He registered a pair of goals on the year, including one game-winner.
Quinnipiac senior defender Pierre Soubrier (Aurignac, France/Scarborough) picks up his second All-NEC award after collecting first team accolades a year ago. Soubrier ended out his career on a high note by earning his first adidas/NEC Player of the Week honor on November 8. From the backfield, he led the Bobcats and with five assists and added a pair of goals, including the game-winner in overtime against CCSU on November 5. His five helpers tie him for the fifth-best mark in the NEC entering the postseason. First-time award recipient Tolle Staffanson (Goteborg, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet), a senior, was one of Quinnipiac’s leaders with 24 shots on the year and was a solid defender in the midfield.
Robert Morris senior midfielder Neil Shaffer (Aliquippa, PA/Beaver) and sophomore keeper Toba Bolaji (Vaughn, Ontario/Maple) become the first Colonials recognized as All-NEC performers since the 2007 season. Shaffer produced team-leading marks with six goals and 15 points, and provided leadership on a new-look Robert Morris squad that featured four freshman and three sophomore in the starting lineup. He also ranked second on the Colonials with three assists. Bolaji was one of the keys to the team’s six-game turnaround. He posted six shutouts to rank second in the NEC, and also fared well compared to his fellow netminders in save percentage (.826, third) and goals against average (1.02, fourth). Bolaji also leads the conference with 5.0 saves per outing, which is the 16th-best mark in Division I. Likewise, his 17 stops against Fairleigh Dickinson on October 15th is the second highest single-game total in the nation this season. A true student-athlete, Bolaji was also named to the CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District first team last week.
Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Samson Malijani (Lusaka, Zambia/La Sapienza) is set to close out a very special career with another postseason appearance for the Knights. Named a third team NSCAA All-America in 2008 after scoring 18 goals and ranking second in the nation in goals per game, Malijani suffered a serious knee injury prior to the start of the 2009 season and was forced to sit out the year. Despite lingering issues with the knee, his presence in the lineup has made all the difference for the Knights this season. FDU is 9-1-2 in games Malijani has suited up and 0-5 without him in the lineup. A finalist for the 2010 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, Malijani has contributed three goals and an assist on a defensive-minded FDU team. He is the NEC’s active leader with 38 goals and ranks second with 88 points. In the FDU recordbook, he is the program’s eighth-leading career goal scorer and ninth-leading point producer. Malijani has earned All-Conference nods in each of his four years, including first team honors in 2007 and 2008. He was also the 2006 NEC Rookie of the Year.
St. Francis (NY) senior forward John Sallhag (Vaxjo, Sweden/Katedralskolan) is another rare four-time All-NEC honoree. He was named to the first team in 2008 and has racked up three second team awards. One of the league’s elite goal scorers during his time in Brooklyn Heights, Sallhag tallied eight goals and 16 points in his senior campaign. He ranks fourth in the league in markers and fifth in points. His 29 career goals ranks seventh all-time at St. Francis, while his 70 points are eighth on the school list. The Vaxjo, Sweden native was named adidas/NEC Player of the Week on September 20.
Long Island sophomore forward Jakeem Johnson (Upper Montclair, NJ/Montclair) is a repeat second team award-winner. He raised his career goal total to 16 after finding the back of the net six times this season to lead the Blackbirds and tie for sixth in the conference. Johnson netted five of those markers in NEC play, including goals in four straight matches during a mid-October stretch.
Sacred Heart sophomore midfielder Edwin Victor (Bridgeport, CT/Central) was a central figure in the midfield for Sacred Heart, which claimed its first NEC playoff berth since 2007. Victor pitched in with a goal and an assist during the regular season.
Saint Francis (PA) senior defender Tyler Hibbs (St. Catherine, Canada/Governor Simcoe) is the final member of the All-NEC second team. A four-year starter, Hibbs patrolled a Red Flash defense that shutout six opponents in the regular season. He also provided an offensive spark with two goals and three assists.
2010 Northeast Conference Men’s Soccer Award Winners
Player of the Year
Ryan Kinne Monmouth MF 5-8 Sr. Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck
Defensive Player of the Year
Marcello Castro Sacred Heart D 6-3 So. Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa
Rookie of the Year
Daniel Calabretta Robert Morris MF 5-6 Fr. Brampton, Ontario/St. Marguerite d’Youville
Coach of the Year
Joe Barroso Sacred Heart
2010 Northeast Conference Men’s Soccer First Team All-Conference
Name School Pos. Ht. Yr Hometown/High School
Patrick Fleming Saint Francis (PA) F 6-0 Sr. Dunedin, New Zealand/Bayfield
Dominic Reinold FDU F 6-2 So Wesseling, Germany/Gesamtschule Rodenkirchen
Chris Wheeler Mount St. Mary’s F 6-0 Jr. Newcastle, Australia/St. Francis Xavier
Ryan Clark Monmouth MF 5-10 So. Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township
Eric Detzel Mount St. Mary’s MF 6-0 Sr. York, PA/Central York
Steve Jakubowski Long Island MF 6-0 Jr. West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford
Ryan Kinne Monmouth MF 5-8 Sr. Naugatuck, CT/Naugatuck
R.J. Allen Monmouth D 5-11 Jr. Old Bridge, NJ/St. Joseph’s
Marcello Castro Sacred Heart D 6-3 So. Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa
Robert Cavener CCSU D 6-0 Sr. Tynemouth, England/Norham
Bryan Meredith Monmouth GK 6-2 Sr. Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood
2010 Northeast Conference Men’s Soccer Second Team All-Conference
Name School Pos. Ht. Yr Hometown/High School
Jakeem Johnson Long Island F 6-0 So. Upper Montclair, NJ/Montclair
Samson Malijani FDU F 5-8 Sr. Lusaka, Zambia/La Sapienza
John Sallhag St. Francis (NY) F 5-9 Sr. Vaxjo, Sweden/Katedralskolan
Max Hamilton Monmouth MF 5-11 Jr. Medford, NJ/Shawnee
Neil Shaffer Robert Morris MF 5-10 Sr. Aliquippa, PA/Beaver
Tolle Staffanson Quinnipiac MF 6-1 Sr. Goteborg, Sweden/Katrinelundsgymnasiet
Edwin Victor Sacred Heart MF 5-11 So. Bridgeport, CT/Central
Tyler Hibbs Saint Francis (PA) D 5-11 Sr. St. Catherine, Canada/Governor Simcoe
Pierre Soubrier Quinnipiac D 5-11 Sr. Aurignac, France/Scarborough
Anthony Vazquez Monmouth D 6-0 Sr. Belford, NJ/Middletown North (St. John’s)
Toba Bolaji Robert Morris GK 6-1 So. Vaughn, Ontario/Maple