Goncalves, Francois and Neumen named to NE-10 First-Team

RINDGE, N.H. (October 30, 2009) – Eight Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer players earned All-Northeast-10 recognition on Friday, as announced by the league. Highlighting the list of all-conference players were senior midfielder Frantz Francois (West Palm Beach, Fla.), graduate back Kevin Neumen (Miller Place, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Victor Goncalves (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), as the three were named to the Northeast-10 First-Team.

In addition, sophomore forward Diego Tabares (Seekonk, Mass.), sophomore defender Tom Reilly (Wallasey, England) and junior back Shaliek Dawkins (Kingston, Jamaica) were named to the Northeast-10 Second-Team. A pair of freshmen, midfielder Sam Kelley (Bedford, N.H.) and defender Tyler Rosa (Rehoboth, Mass.) were named to the Northeast-10 All-Rookie Team.

Francois leads the team in goals this season with 10 and has assisted on another to tally 21 points. His goals are tied for fourth most in the league this season and his points are the fifth highest. Three of his goals this season have been game-winners. It marks the second-straight year Francois was named to the all-conference first-team.

Goncalves joined Francois as being a back-to-back All-NE-10 First-Team honoree. The reigning conference rookie of the year, Goncalves has enjoyed a fine sophomore year in 2009 as he has totaled five goals, three assists and 13 points.

Neumen earned the all-conference honor in his first season in the league. He proved to be a solid defender on the back end for Franklin Pierce this season, but also provided a scoring touch with three goals and six points.

Dawkins teamed up with Neumen as another solid back for the Ravens in 2009. An aggressive, physical player, Dawkins was strong at quickly getting the ball out of Franklin Pierce’s defensive zone and blunting any offensive attack for the opposition. It marked the second-consecutive season he was named to the league’s second-team.

Reilly also proved to be a strong defensive presence for Franklin Pierce. He also helped out the offensive zone this season as he assisted on a goal. It was the first all-conference recognition for the second-year player.

Kelley and Rosa provided a nice boost to the Franklin Pierce lineup as rookies during the regular season. Rosa started all 17 matches and scored a goal, while Kelley saw action in 16 games with an impressive 14 starts.

Franklin Pierce gets set to kick off another post-season run on Sunday when it plays host to Assumption in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Northeast-10 Tournament. The game will begin at 4 p.m. at Sodexo Field on the Rindge campus. Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and children, and Franklin Pierce students get in for free if they show their student ID at the gate.

For more information on Franklin Pierce men’s soccer, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.)