Koolman Named NSCAA/adidas New England Region
Eighth-year mentor earns
third New England Region award after leading Ravens to first
National Championship
RINDGE, N.H. (December 27, 2007) – Franklin Pierce
University men’s soccer head coach, Marco Koolman, has been
voted the National Soccer Coaches Association of America
(NSCAA)/adidas New England Region Coach of the Year by his peers.
Koolman is now eligible for NSCAA/adidas Division II Coach of the
Year accolades to be announced at the Association’s winter
convention in January.
Koolman, who earns New England Region Coach of the Year honors for
the second-straight year and third time overall, led Franklin
Pierce to a 17-2-4 mark this fall and their first NCAA Division II
Championship in program history with a 1-0 victory over No. 16
Lincoln Memorial University. The Ravens captured their third NCAA
New England Regional title in the last four years and advanced to
the Final Four for the second time in three seasons. Franklin
Pierce captured its third-straight Northeast-10 Conference regular
season title with an 11-0-2 mark – its first unbeaten
conference regular season since 1995. Koolman was also named NE-10
Coach of the Year for the second time this fall.
Koolman has led the Ravens to a 112-37-19 (.723) record in eight
years, including a 77-18-9 (.784) mark in Northeast-10 play.
Franklin Pierce has advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament
each of the last five seasons. In addition to their current run of
regular season titles, the Ravens captured the NE-10 Tournament
title in 2006. He secured his 100th victory at Franklin Pierce
earlier this season with a 2-0 decision over Bentley College on
September 19.
Koolman boasts a 186-66-25 (.716) career mark, which includes six
successful seasons as head coach at his alma mater, Gannon
University in Erie, Pa., where he earned National Coach of the Year
honors in 1993 and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
(GLIAC) Coach of the Year accolades following the 1995 season. He
entered the 2007 season ranked 14th among Division II coaches
all-time for career winning percentage. Since joining Franklin
Pierce, Koolman has produced 15 All-Americans, 34 All-New England
and 62 All-Northeast-10 selections.
Christopher Joyce became the first men's soccer player in Franklin
Pierce history to earn NSCAA/adidas Division II Player of the Year
honors in 2005. Joyce is one of three NE-10 Players of the Year for
Koolman, including this year’s choice David Clifton. Another
Koolman recruit, James Thorpe is the first four-time NE-10
Goalkeeper of the Year and three-time All-American in program
history, while Bisharra Ettienne was named Defensive Player of the
Year in the Conference the last two seasons.
Koolman's Ravens have also performed in the classroom, with four
collecting CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, including Peter
Petropanagos – the first three-time selection in program
history, and two earning NSCAA Scholar All-America plaudits. 14
Franklin Pierce men's soccer players have earned CoSIDA Academic
All-District honors under Koolman's watch and nine have collected
NE-10 All-Academic honors since the Conference started the program
in 2004. 12 Ravens have been named to the NE-10 Commissioner's
Honor Roll, five of which achieved Gold Scholar status.
Koolman also has success placing his players in professional
soccer. All-America midfielder Felix Brillant, one of Koolman's
first recruits after coming to Franklin Pierce, was selected in the
sixth round of Major League Soccer's 2004 SuperDraft by the New
England Revolution and currently plays in Norway's first division
for FK Sparta Sarpsborg after two seasons in the United State, one
with the Revolution. Joyce was selected by FC Dallas in the 2006
MLS Supplemental Draft, but opted to sign a three-year contract
with his current club Odd Grenland FK of the Norwegian Tippeligaen.