Somerset, NJ -- The centerpiece of the Sharks’ attack and two crucial pieces of the Knights’ defensive armor corralled major year-end NEC men’s soccer awards.
 
High-scoring LIU junior forward Emil Jaaskelainen (Bolton, England/Bolton School) was recognized as the 2022 NEC Player of the Year, while FDU junior defender Hugo Bacharach (Benicàssim, Spain/Colegio La Magdalena) became the first Knight since 2013 to be recognized as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year. FDU senior goalkeeper Spencer King (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/ILC) joined his teammate in the winner’s circle, claiming the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year award. 
 
Saint Francis U produced its first-ever NEC Rookie of the Year honoree after Jordaine Jaeger’s (Munich, Germany/Gymnasium Neubiberg) impressive season-long performance in goal for the Red Flash.
 
NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors went to FDU’s Seth Roland and his staff after they collectively led the Knights to their first-ever unbeaten season in NEC play and secured the top-seed in the NEC Tournament.
 
From NEC Rookie of the Year in 2020-21 to the newest NEC Player of the Year, Jaaskelainen’s linear progression as a feared striker has been something to behold. The junior leads the NEC in multiple offensive categories, including goals (12), points (25), goals per game (0.80) and points per game (1.67). He not only paces the conference in goals, but has made them count, converting an NCAA DI-best six game-winners. Jaaskelainen also ranks third in the nation in goals per game and tenth in points per game. The three-time All-NEC first team honoree played a significant role in LIU’s success earlier this season when he scored in eight straight matches during the Sharks’ eight-game unbeaten streak from September 10th through October 9th (7-0-1). Jaaskelainen was named the NEC Player of the Week on October 3rd and was a six-time NEC Prime Performer. The Bolton, England native is the sixth LIU student-athlete to win this award, joining inaugural honoree Roger Chavez (1986), NEC Hall of Famer Giovanni Savarese (1992), Walter Bustamente (1994), Simen Hestnes (2016) and Rasmus Hansen (2017).
 
Bacharach was the cornerstone performer in the Knights’ vaunted backline that helped FDU to its first unbeaten season in conference play in program history with a 6-0-2 record. FDU allowed just three goals vs. NEC competition and posted shutouts in six-of-eight matches. The two-time All-NEC first team member displayed his versatility on both sides of the ball for the Knights’ as he is tied for the team lead with three goals on the season. Nicholas Walker previously won this award for FDU back in 2013.
 
King joined Bacharach in what was nearly an impenetrable combination in the defensive third for the Knights. King leads the NEC with eight shutouts, and ranks fourth with a .846 goals against average and .810 save percentage. He did not concede a single goal over 585 minutes of league play and posted a conference-high six clean sheets against NEC foes. The All-NEC first team goalkeeper was named the NEC Player of the Week on October 24. He is the first FDU keeper to earn this accolade.
 
Jaeger can boast of becoming the first Saint Francis U player to claim the NEC Rookie of the Year honor. He posted five shutouts, a 1.189 goals against average and .789 save percentage this season to rank fifth on the circuit in each category. The three-time NEC Rookie of the Week was even better against conference rivals, ranking second in GAA (0.63) and save percentage (.884), and third in shutouts (four) to help the Red Flash to a 3-2-3 NEC slate.
 
After guiding the Knights to a 6-0-2 NEC campaign, 26th-year head coach Seth Roland claimed his fifth and the program’s seventh NEC regular season title. Under his direction, the Knights will look to raise the NEC Tournament trophy for a ninth time. FDU proved to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the conference with a solid foundation defensively and a balanced offensive attack that features eight players with two or more goals. Roland previously was named NEC Coach of the Year in 2000 and has accumulated 350 career victory over the course of his lengthy career.
 
AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
 
FDU and Merrimack each sported a league-best six student-athletes on All-Conference first and second teams, with LIU and SFBK earning three selections apiece.
 
Merrimack graduate student midfielder Stefano Pesenti (Camisano, Italy/I.I.S. Galileo Galilei Crema) joined Jaaskelainen and Bacharach as the lone three-time All-NEC picks. Pesenti, who heads into the postseason with two goals and five points, has been named to the first team in each of the last three years after garnering All-Rookie honors in 2019.
 
Merrimack senior forward Juri Schlingmann (Flensburg, Germany/Fördegymnasium Flensburg (Missouri Valley)) made his initial All-Conference appearance with his selection to the first team for the Warriors, who enter their first NEC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Schlingmann is second in the conference in goals (eight) and points (20), and third in assists (four). Teammate Johan Feilscher (Bad Bramstedt, Germany/Concordia College (NY)), a senior midfielder and fellow All-NEC first teamer, ranks third in goals (seven) and points (17), making them a threatening one-two punch in the Warrior attack.
 
Howard sophomore midfielder Bryson Baker (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) collected a first team spot after leading the Bison and ranking sixth in the league with six goals and 13 points.
 
A trio of honorees made their second appearance on the All-NEC first team. FDU’s Jordan Alonge (London, England/St. John Bosco (Baker)) became a repeat honoree after he finished the regular season with a goal and two assists for the regular season champs. The same goes for St. Francis Brooklyn senior midfielder Sokol Ymeraj (Fier, Albania/Shekulli i Ri), who has contributed three goals and a pair of assists for the third-seeded Terriers. LIU junior defender Andre Puente (Chihuahua, Mexico/EDEC) also made it back-to-back first team plaudits on a Shark backline tied for first in the NEC with a 0.81 GAA.
 
FDU graduate midfielder Fallou Tounkara (Dakar, Senegal/High School of World Cultures) and Sacred Heart sophomore defender Etienne Murugarren (Ciudad Real, Spain/Colegio Leones) were both named to the All-NEC second team for the second year running.
 
NEC newcomer Stonehill picked up its initial year-end honor when junior forward Jacob Woznicki (Bristol, CT/Bristol Eastern) was named to the second team after he ranked third in the conference with seven goals and 17 points during the regular season.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn’s Khaled Abdella (Brooklyn, NY/Fort Hamilton), who made the second team, is tied for third in the NEC with seven goals and 17 points.
 
Sacred Heart, Saint Francis U, and St. Francis Brooklyn each landed three players on the All-Conference rookie team, displaying the up-and-coming talent and potential within the programs.
  
About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 42nd season, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of nine institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Boston (#9), Hartford/New Haven (#33) and Providence (#53). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 24 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 15 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU, Merrimack, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.