DC United Selects Thorpe in Fourth Round of MLS Supplemental Draft
East Longmeadow, Mass., native fourth player in program history drafted by MLS club - second in supplemental draft
RINDGE, N.H. (January 24,
2008) – Franklin Pierce University senior
All-America goalkeeper James Thorpe (East Longmeadow,
Mass./Bridgton Academy) was selected by four-time Major
League Soccer Cup Champions DC United in the fourth round of the
MLS Supplemental Draft this afternoon.
Thorpe, the NSCAA/adidas Division II Player of the Year, is the
fourth student-athlete in program history to be drafted by an MLS
franchise – the second in the supplemental draft. Thorpe
joins former All-Americans Bojan Vuckovic (1996), Felix Brillant
(2004) and Christopher Joyce (2006) as MLS draft picks. Vuckovic
(3rd round) and Brillant (6th) were both selected in the
SuperDraft, while Joyce (1st round) was also picked in the
supplemental draft.
DC United is the most decorated organization in Major League
Soccer. Including its four MLS Cups, United has captured 11 major
domestic and international championships. Thorpe performed well at
an invitation-only tryout with the club earlier this month.
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Thorpe, the first three-time
All-America selection in program history, is also a four-time first
team All-New England selection and the first four-time NE-10
Goalkeeper of the Year in Conference history. A first team
All-America selection this fall, after earning second team honors
in 2006 and third team in 2005, he is also a four-time All-NE-10
first team pick. Thorpe was also recently recognized with an NCAA
Institutional Sportsmanship Award.
Thorpe earned Most Outstanding Defensive Player honors at the NCAA
Division II Final Four, leading Franklin Pierce to its first
National Championship. He didn’t concede a goal in 200
minutes of action, also notching two stops in a penalty shootout
victory over 7th-ranked Midwestern State University in the
semifinals after the two sides played to a scoreless draw in which
Thorpe made six saves. He made one save to preserve the Ravens 1-0
victory over 16th-ranked Lincoln Memorial University in the
final.
Thorpe led the NE-10 during his senior season with 12 shutouts,
while his 0.63 goals against average ranked second (10th
nationally) and his .786 save percentage ranked fourth while
playing all 2,154:16 in the Ravens goal this season. In Conference
play, Thorpe posted a Conference-low 0.52 GAA with a
Conference-best eight shutouts to go with a .816 save percentage
(2nd).
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Thorpe has wrapped up a four-year
career in which he has nearly completely re-written the Franklin
Pierce goalkeeping record books. He set an NCAA record for all
divisions with his 8,391-minutes, 11-seconds, in goal over 93
career matches played, while his program and Northeast-10 record 49
shutouts are just one shy of the NCAA Division II mark.
Thorpe’s 0.66 career goals against average shattered the
program record and set a new NE-10 standard, while his .811 career
save percentage is good for second in program history. The Ravens
posted an 82-16-17 record over four years with him in goal,
including a 41-4-5 mark in Conference play – going 28-0-5
over his final 33 regular season matches in the NE-10.
Thorpe established himself as a premier shot stopper, posting an
incredible 6-1 record over his career in penalty shootouts –
winning his last six decisions. He stopped 17 penalty kicks in all
over his four-year career, including those in matches and
shootouts.
Thorpe also holds program records for shutouts in a season (14,
2004), single season goals against average (0.45, 2006) and
consecutive shutout minutes (578:52, 2004). He appeared in the
“Faces in the Crowd” section of the December 13, 2004
issue of Sports Illustrated. Thorpe earned Goalkeeper of the Week
honors in the NE-10 on 20 occasions and Player of the Week four
times over his career.
Franklin Pierce (17-2-4, 11-0-2 NE-10) captured its first National
Championship in program history this fall, posting a 1-0 victory
over Lincoln Memorial on December 2 in Orange Beach, Ala. The
Ravens also collected their third-straight Northeast-10 regular
season title before earning their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament
berth (13th overall), advancing to the Final Four for the third
time in program history (1991, 2005, 2007).