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Hamden, CT – Central Connecticut senior forward Reece Wilson (London, England/William Carey) was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year, it was announced Thursday evening at the annual pre-tournament banquet, held in Hamden, CT. Senior defender Marcello Castro (Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa) of Sacred Heart claimed his third straight NEC Defensive Player of the Year award, while first-year St. Francis (NY) forward Kevin Correa (Flushing, NY/Flushing) was honored as the NEC Rookie of the Year. After leading his team to the regular season title and earning the right to host this year’s tournament, Quinnipiac’s Eric Da Costa was tabbed NEC Coach of the Year.

Wilson, who was one of four Blue Devils honored Thursday, led his team in scoring for the second straight season and helped them to an 8-8-2 record, including a 6-3-1 mark in conference action. In 18 games played, he scored nine goals and handed out six assists for 24 points. From a conference perspective, the native of London, England ranked in the top-3 in nearly every offensive category, including second in points, points per game (1.33), goals and assists per game (0.33).

Castro capped off an illustrious career by becoming the first player in NEC history to win the defensive player of the year award three straight times. A versatile athlete, the Parana, Brazil product scored nine goals, including three game-winners, and totaled 20 points while shutting down opposing offenses. Furthermore, he was the highest-ranked defender in almost every offensive category in the league, placing second in both goals and goals per game (0.56) and third in points and points per game (1.25).

Playing his first year of collegiate soccer, Correa, a sophomore, busted on to the scene with St. Francis (NY) this season. He scored a league-leading 11 goals and topped the conference in points with 25 through 18 games played, starting just six times. He also ranked first in points per game (1.39) and goals per game (0.61).

In his eighth season behind the bench, Da Costa led the Bobcats to their first NEC Regular Season Championship in program history. His team reeled off a 10-5-2 record and went 8-1-1 in NEC play, becoming the first squad to win eight league games since 2009. Offensively, QU scored the second-most goals in the league with 32, just one shy of the league leader. On the other side of the ball, the Bobcat defense held opponents to 0.88 goals per game and posted five shutouts, including one in their final game to clinch the regular season title and the right to host this weekend’s tournament.

Overall, 22 student-athletes were honored at the banquet, as both all-conference teams were also announced. All three major award winners earned spots on the All-NEC First Team, with Wilson and Correa highlighting the forwards and Castro landing a spot with the defenders. For Wilson, it marked his second straight appearance on the first team after transfering to CCSU as a junior. Castro, meanwhile, earned his third straight All-NEC First Team in four years at SHU.

Representing the host institution as one of three Bobcats to be recognized, senior Philip Suprise (Milwaukee, WI/Pius XI) rounded out the first team forwards with his second straight selection to the top squad, third overall in his career. In 17 games, the Milwaukee, WI native led QU in scoring with eight goals and 18 points, averaging the fourth most points per game in the league (1.06). He also placed fourth in goals, goals per game (0.47) and points among his NEC peers.

At midfield, it was a familiar sight as two of the four members were repeat selections from last year’s first team. Fairleigh Dickinson’s Jack McVey (Douglass, Isle of Man/St. Ninian’s School) highlighted the picks after another big year in Teaneck, NJ. Earning his fourth straight all-conference honor, second from the NEC, McVey led the Knights in scoring for the second straight year and helped them to the No. 2 seed in the 2012 NEC Tournament. He scored five goals, including two game-winners, and handed out four assists for 14 points, a mark that ranked him ninth in the NEC. Central Connecticut’s Thomas Obasi (Birmingham, England/Liverpool) had another grand year as well. Standing at 6-3, 180-lbs, Obasi benefited from his size and speed to create opportunities for his teammates, earning five of his seven points from assists.

Joseph Schmid (Kingston, PA/Wyoming Valley West (Villanova)) of Monmouth and Jesse Menzies (Prospect, CT/Woodland Regional) of Central Connecticut completed the four-man unit as first-time selections. In 18 games played, Schmid ranked second on the team in scoring with five goals and 13 points and placed first in the game-winning goals department with an NEC-high four. Menzies ranked second on his team in scoring too, recording five goals and 16 points through 18 contests. Another playmaking midfielder for the Blue Devils, the Prospect, CT native placed second in both assists (6) and assists per game (0.33) in the league.

At defense, Saint Francis (PA) senior James Price (Christchurch, New Zealand/St. Andrew’s College) moved up from his second team spot a year ago to earn All-NEC honors in back-to-back seasons. Playing in 17 games, Price anchored a defensive unit that limited opponents to a mere 0.78 goals per game. He also added one goal for two points, striking in a 2-1 win over St. Francis (NY). Just like Price, Fairleigh Dickinson’s Nicholas Walker (Port-of-Spain, Trinidad/St. Mary’s) was known for his defense. In 18 games, the junior helped the Knights hold opponents scoreless nine times, including five times in NEC play when their goals against average was a league-low 0.50 GAA.

Tying for the first team goalkeeper spot, Alex Blackburn (Natick, MA/Natick) of Monmouth and Daniel Valcicak (Herndon, VA/Gonzaga College) of Saint Francis (PA) both had stellar seasons between the pipes, finishing in the top-3 in several NEC goalie categories.

Blackburn played in every minute of all 18 games, recording an 11-4-3 record with a league-high nine shutouts. He allowed just 13 goals on the season and maintained a league-low 0.69 goals against average and a .824 save percentage, the third best on the circuit. On the other side, Valcicak recorded all six of his team’s wins and finished with a 6-6-5 record and eight shutouts. He matched Blackburn with 13 goals allowed and recorded the top save percentage in the NEC (.865).

With both goalkeepers earning spots on the first team, the All-NEC Second Team was made up of 10 student-athletes.

The forwards saw St. Francis (NY) junior Gabriel Bagot (Nevers, France/Edison Academic Center) and Mount St. Mary’s sophomore Zoncher Dennis (Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven) return to All-NEC status, while Quinnipiac’s William Daniels (Clackamas, OR/Mount Ida College) was awarded a spot for the first time in his career. Bagot ranked sixth in league scoring with 16 points, made up of five goals and six assists.  Dennis, last year’s NEC Rookie of the Year, reeled off three goals and seven points. A former Division III conference rookie of the year, Daniels placed third on Quinnipiac’s scoring list with six goals and 13 points.

At second team midfield, Quinnipiac senior Robbie McLarney (Londonderry, NH/Londonderry) earned All-NEC status in his first year in the league. The transfer from Rutgers reeled off 15 points with a league-high seven assists in 17 games played. A big contributor to the SFNY offense, senior Adam Maabdi (Honnecourt Sur Escaut, France/Lycee Paul Duez) made his second straight appearance on an All-NEC team, recording 18 points (8Gs, 2As) and placing fourth in the league in scoring. Monmouth’s Ryan Clark (Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township) closed out his NEC awards collection with his fourth straight All-NEC honor. Putting on another solid performance with the Hawks, the Freehold, NJ product recorded 12 points on three goals and six assists, just one shy of the league leader. Saint Francis (PA) junior Nick Kolarac (Pittsburgh, PA/West Allegheny) rounded out the unit with a team-leading five-goal, two-assist performance.

Monmouth’s Emmanuel Agyemang (Kumasi, Ghana/KNUST University), Fairleigh Dickinson’s Jeff Barrenechea (Lodi, NJ/Paramus Catholic) and Central Connecticut’s Steven Bailey (Brooklyn, NY/Monroe College) highlighted the second team defense. Agyemang, playing his first year of NCAA soccer, was one of the main reasons Monmouth was so good defensively. The rookie played and started in all 17 games and helped the Hawks hold opponents to just 13 goals and a 0.69 goals allowed average. A redshirt junior, Barrenchea was a staple in the FDU backfield, helping the Knights post nine shutouts and holding opponents to just five goals during NEC play. Bailey played more of an offensive role while aiding a defense that allowed just over a goal per game. He scored two goals, including the game-tying score against Robert Morris, for four points.

Due to inclement weather, the 2012 NEC Men’s Soccer Tournament will kick off on Friday, Nov. 9, at West Haven High School in West Haven, CT. Top-seeded Quinnipiac will host the fourth-seeded Saint Francis (PA) Red Flash at 11:00 am, while No. 2 Fairleigh Dickinson will face third-seeded Monmouth in a rematch of last year’s title game at 1:30 pm. The winner of each game will then square off for the championship on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 1:00 pm, with the advancing team earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. All three games can be viewed free of charge on NEC Front Row at www.necfrontrow.com. Fans can also follow along via Twitter (@NECmsoccer).

2012 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Reece Wilson, CCSU     Sr., F   London, England/William Carey

2012 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marcello Castro, SHU   Sr., D   Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa

2012 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Kevin Correa, SFNY     So., F   Flushing, NY/Flushing

2012 NORTHEAST CONFERENCE COACH OF THE YEAR
Eric Da Costa, QU

2012 ALL-NORTHEAST CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Reece Wilson, CCSU     Sr., F   London, England/William Carey
Philip Suprise, QU     Sr., F   Milwaukee, WI/Pius XI
Kevin Correa, SFNY     So., F   Flushing, NY/Flushing
Jack McVey, FDU        Sr., M   Douglass, Isle of Man/St. Ninian’s School
Joseph Schmid, MU      Jr., M   Kingston, PA/Wyoming Valley W. (Villanova)
Jesse Menzies, CCSU    Sr., M   Prospect, CT/Woodland Regional
Thomas Obasi, CCSU     Sr., M   Birmingham, England/Liverpool
Marcello Castro, SHU   Sr., D   Parana, Brazil/Centro Universitario Maringa
Nicholas Walker, FDU   Jr., D   Port-of-Spain, Trinidad/St. Mary’s
James Price, SFPA      Sr., D   Christchurch, New Zealand/St. Andrew’s
Alex Blackburn, MU     Sr., GK  Natick, MA/Natick
Daniel Valcicak, SFPA  Sr., GK  Herndon, VA/Gonzaga College

2012 ALL-NORTHEAST CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Gabriel Bagot, SFNY    Jr., F   Nevers, France/Edison Academic Center
Zoncher Dennis, MSM    So., F   Swarthmore, PA/Strath Haven
William Daniels, QU    Sr., F   Clackamas, OR/Mount Ida College
Robbie McLarney, QU    Sr., M   Londonderry, NH/Londonderry
Adam Maabdi, SFNY      Sr., M   Honnecourt Sur Escaut, France/Lycee Paul Duez
Ryan Clark, MU         Sr., M   Freehold, NJ/Freehold Township
Nick Kolarac, SFPA     Jr., M   Pittsburgh, PA/West Allegheny
Emmanuel Agyemang, MU  So., D   Kumasi, Ghana/KNUST University
Jeff Barrenechea, FDU  R-Jr.,D  Lodi, NJ/Paramus Catholic
Steven Bailey, CCSU    Sr., D   Brooklyn, NY/Monroe College