Franklin Pierce Places Three
on NE-10 Men’s Soccer
All-Academic Team
Petropanagos and Vitulano repeat honorees, Clifton selected for first time

RINDGE, N.H. (October 17, 2007) – Three members of the Franklin Pierce University men’s soccer team have earned spots on the Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic Team as selected by the Conference’s 15 sports information directors. The announcement was made by the NE-10 office this afternoon. To be eligible for selection to the academic teams, student-athletes must have met or exceeded the following requirements: 1.) participated in a least half of the team’s competitions and be either a starter or significant contributor; 2.) achieved a 3.20 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale); and 3.) completed at least one academic year at their current institution.

Seniors Peter Petropanagos (Mississauga, Ontario/York University) and Michel Vitulano (Montreal, Quebec/College de Maisonneuve) are both repeat All-Academic selections, while grad student David Clifton (London, England) has been selected for the first time.

Petropanagos, a first team NE-10 All-Academic selection for the third-straight year, has earned a 3.865 cumulative grade point average as a pre-med major at Franklin Pierce. He is one of just two two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America selections in program history, earning first team honors in 2006 after being voted to the third team as a sophomore. He is a three-time NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Gold Scholar and a member of Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society.

Petropanagos is a four-year mainstay, a tri-captain this fall, for a Franklin Pierce defensive unit that has ranked among NCAA Division II leaders each fall – posting a Division II best and program-record 0.44 team goals against average and 15 shutouts in 2006. He is a two-time All-Northeast-10 selection, also collecting second team All-New England region honors as well last fall. This season, Petropanagos has netted a goal (first of career) and dished two assists for four points. The holding midfielder is again a key part of a defensive unit which ranks third in the NE-10 with a 0.76 team GAA (18^th nationally) and seven shutouts (15^th).

Petropanagos has totaled a goal and seven assists for nine career points from the back line and helped the Ravens compile a 60-15-12 overall record since stepping on campus with three NCAA Tournament berths. The team advanced to the 2005 National Championship match, and has captured two NE-10 regular season championships and the 2006 NE-10 Tournament title. Franklin Pierce is 41-5-4 in Conference play over the last four seasons.

Vitulano, who earns NE-10 All-Academic honors for the second-straight year, has earned a 3.466 cumulative GPA while majoring in mass communication with a minor in graphic design at Franklin Pierce. The Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Roll member is also a two-time ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District second team honoree and a two-time Northeast-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Bronze Scholar.

The Franklin Pierce defender is a three-year captain and key member of the Ravens defensive unit that has ranked among NCAA Division II leaders each fall – posting a Division II best and program-record 0.44 team goals against average and 15 shutouts in 2006. He earned second team All-Northeast-10 honors in 2006 and was selected to the NCAA New England Regional All-Tournament team in 2004. This season, Vitulano leads the team with seven assists (3^rd NE-10) and is again a key part of a defensive unit which ranks third in the NE-10 with a 0.76 team GAA (18^th nationally) and seven shutouts (15^th).

In 69 career matches played, Vitulano has totaled five goals (three match-winners) and 11 assists for 21 points. He has helped Franklin Pierce compile a 60-15-12 overall record since stepping on campus with three NCAA Tournament berths. The Ravens advanced to the 2005 National Championship match, and has captured two NE-10 regular season championships and the 2006 NE-10 Tournament title. Franklin Pierce is 41-5-4 in Conference play over the last four seasons.

Clifton has earned a 3.618 grade point average in Franklin Pierce’s Master’s of Business Administration program to earn NE-10 All-Academic honors for the first time. The second-year post grad earned NE-10 Commissioner’s Honor Roll Gold Scholar status in 2006-07 and graduated with First Class Honors from Loughborough University in England in 2006.

Clifton leads the Northeast-10 with 34 points and 16 goals to go with two assists in ten matches since returning to the Franklin Pierce lineup after a preseason injury. The two-time NE-10 Player of the Week has been on a goal-scoring binge of late, netting three hat tricks over the Ravens last five matches (scoring 11 goals in all over that stretch) and leads the team with four match-winning goals (2^nd NE-10) this season.

A third-team All-Northeast-10 selection in 2006, Clifton currently ranks 12^th in program history with 24 career goals, while his 51 career points are good for 16^th all-time in just 26 matches for Franklin Pierce over two seasons.

Franklin Pierce (11-1-2, 10-0-1 NE-10), ranked No. 6 in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll and first in the New England Region, is back in action to night when it looks to clinch its third-straight NE-10 regular season title as it hosts rivals Southern Connecticut State University, ranked fourth in the region and among teams receiving votes nationally, at 7 p.m. The Ravens round out the regular season on Saturday at The College of Saint Rose at 1 p.m.