Bridgewater, NJ -- Ushering in a new era of Northeast Conference (NEC) men’s soccer, two rising programs claimed their first postseason awards in school history, while a perennial powerhouse added on to its legacy.

A standout midfielder who spearheaded Mercyhurst’s explosion onto the NEC men’s soccer scene this season, senior Dylan Sumner (Manchester, England/Wellacre Academy) claimed NEC Player of the Year laurels as the Lakers’ won the league’s regular season title in their inaugural campaign as a conference member and Division I program.

Mercyhurst’s historic season also earned the Lakers NEC Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Led by second year head coach Austin Solomon, the Lakers posted an 8-7-2 overall record and a 5-1-2 mark in league play.

The defending NEC champions had their own major awards haul as senior Eoin Gawronski (Limerick, PA/YSC Academy (Temple)) was tabbed NEC Goalkeeper of the Year, while breakout freshman Stephane Njike (Strasbourg, France/Lycée Jean Monnet) garnered NEC Rookie of the Year prestige, becoming the 10th Shark to earn the award. Gawronski is the second LIU goalie to be named NEC Goalkeeper of the Year since the league started presenting the award in 2020-21.

In its second year as a NEC member, Le Moyne took home its first major honor as redshirt senior Jack Goodrich (Kelsall, England/King’s School Chester) was selected NEC Defensive Player of the Year.

Sumner took the NEC by storm as one of the most lethal offensive players in the conference. The senior forward scored eight goals and dished out six assists for 22 points, which all rank third in the league. Seven of his eight scores came against NEC opponents and three of those were game-winners, which paced the NEC. He was the only player on the circuit to register a hat trick all season, which he did in a win against defending regular season champion Saint Francis U. Sumner took home NEC Player of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks on October 7 and 14, one of which was for his three-goal performance against the Red Flash. Additionally, the Manchester, England native was one of two NEC student-athletes to tally two assists in multiple matches and registered seven multi-point outings during the year.

With his NEC Player of the Year selection, Sumner added another yearly accolade to his trophy case. During his time at Mercyhurst, he was named 2021 PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year and 2022 PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year. Sumner was also a three-time All-PSAC Western Division first team selection and now adds an All-NEC first team nod to his resumé.

Anchoring the Dolphin back line, Goodrich led the charge for one of the NEC's elite defenses. Le Moyne conceded the fewest amount goals (19) and finished the regular season ranked second in the NEC with a 1.19 GAA. The Dolphins also posted the third-best save percentage (.729). Goodrich, who hails from Kelsall, England, performed well on the offensive side of the ball as well, scoring four goals and adding two assists for 10 points on the year, including the game-winning score in Le Moyne’s historic 1-0 win at No. 7 Syracuse. Goodrich was dubbed an NEC Prime Performer on September 3.

Arriving on Long Island prior to the 2023 season, Gawronski quickly rose to the top class of NEC goalkeepers. An NEC All-Tournament selection a year ago, Gawronski, leads the conference in GAA (1.05) and save percentage (.767), while finishing the regular season tied for the second-most shutouts on the circuit with six. Four of his clean sheets came against NEC opponents. The Pennsylvania native has started every match for the Sharks this season and posted a 7-3-6 record in net. Gawronski was named a NEC Prime Performer three times in 2024 (Aug. 26, Sept. 30, Nov. 4).

Leading all rookies in scoring, Njike made his mark for the Sharks in his first season in Brookville. Tallying 10 points on three goals and four assists, the freshman forward tied for the most points by a Shark and led LIU in assists. His four dimes on the year were tied for fifth among all NEC players. Njike received NEC Rookie of the Week honors twice. The French striker was one of two rookies to earn the accolade more than once this season. Additionally, Njike registered multi-point performances on three separate occasions.

In just his second year at the helm, Solomon has led the Lakers to a pair of winning seasons and an overall record of 22-10-3. While it may be only his second year as head coach, Solomon is no stranger to Erie, PA as he has spent the last 10 seasons with the program. He started out as a graduate assistant, before being promioted to assistant coach in 2015 and associate head coach in 2018. He also played four seasons for the Lakers as a midfielder. Now, Solomon has led the program to an NEC regular season crown in its inaugural season as a DI program.

As a team, Mercyhurst is tied for the league lead with seven shutouts, ranked second for save percentage (.744), third in GAA (1.24), and fifth in points (69), goals (24) and assists (21) during the regular season.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS
FDU, Mercyhurst and Saint Francis U all had four student-athletes selected to All-NEC squads, followed by Le Moyne and LIU with three apiece. Central Connecticut, Chicago State, Howard and Stonehill were each represented with one honoree.

Heading into the NEC Tournament as the top seed, FDU landed two players on the All-Conference first team: senior striker Kevin Leonhard (Jefferson, NJ/Jefferson Township) and graduate defender NK Tima (Middletown, DE/Appoquinimink (La Salle)). This marked their first All-NEC selections. Leonhard was previously tabbed to the All-Rookie team in 2021. Leonhard leads the NEC with 10 goals and ranks second with 23 points entering postseason play. For the second consecutive year, FDU defender Jeffrey Marquez (North Bergen, NJ/North Bergan) was tabbed with second team accolades.

After a historic inaugural season to Division I, regular season champion Mercyhurst took home three more All-NEC picks as senior defender Kyle Halehale (Sinajana, Guam/Fr. Duena Memorial (CCSU)) joined NEC Player of the Year Sumner on the first team. Sophomore defender Ben Buckley (Doneraile, Ireland/Nagle Rice Secondary) and senior goalie Danilo Abayo (Berlin, Germany/Georg-Friedrich-Händel Gymnasium (Notre Dame College)) collected second team nods.

The Red Flash led the way with three players claiming first team All-Conference awards. 2023 NEC Defensive Player of the Year Tom Schellbach (Freiburg, Germany/Faust Gymnasium) secured first team honors for the second consecutive year. Sophomores Joschi Schelb (Freiburg, Germany/Angell) and Fabian Wagner (Grunsfeld, Germany/Walldorf Gymnasium) upgraded from the 2023 All-Rookie squad to the 2024 All-NEC first team. Senior midfielder Maximus Rigby (York, England/Joseph Rowntree) claimed a spot on the second team three years after his All-Rookie campaign in 2021.

A dynamic offensive threat and creative playmaker out of the midfilder, Schelb earned a league-best three NEC Player of the Week awards and completed the regular season with the most points (26) and assists (8) on the circuit, while ranking second in goals (9). Wagner, a striker, also claimed NEC Player of the Week kudos on October 21, and heads into the NEC Tournament ranked in the NEC top-five in goals (7), assists (4) and points (18).

NEC Defensive Player of the Year Jack Goodrich was accompanied on the first team by redshirt junior Ziad Abdul-Malak (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius), making it the first time the Dolphins have collected multiple first team selections.

Eoin Gawronski was the lone Shark to be presented with an All-NEC first team accolade, while 2023 NEC Tournament MVP Alan Gonzalez (Inwood, NY/Lawrence) earned a spot on the second team. The senior midfielder had previously been named to the 2021 NEC All-Rookie squad.

Stonehill’s Colin Milliken (Easton, MA/Oliver Ames (SNHU)), a two-time NEC Player of the Week, upgraded his second team acknowledgement last season to a first team pick in 2024. On the national scale, Milliken was named the TopDrawerSoccer Player of the Week on September 9.

For the third straight year, Howard’s Bryson Baker (Ellicott City, MD/Centennial) garnered All-Conference prestige. Baker claimed his second All-NEC second team nod in as many years. The senior forward was previously named to the first team in 2022 and was an All-Rookie selection in 2021.

Chicago State featured one All-Conference player in its inaugural season as a member of the NEC after senior forward Danail Sergiev (Glenview, IL/Glenbrook South) obtaining a spot on the second team. He finishing the year with six goals and four assists. Freshman middie Aidan Lopez (Waco, TX) also collected All-Rookie honors.

FDU, Le Moyne, LIU and SFU each had two athletes earn All-Rookie distinction. Chicago State, Howard and Stonehill each featured a lone rookie on the squad.

About The Northeast Conference
Now in its 44th 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), Chicago (#3), Boston (#8). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#87). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, 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.