Franklin Pierce Places Four on 
NSCAA/adidas Men’s All-Region First Team
Brillant named for fourth-straight year; 
McCabe, Bakker and Jansen first-time honorees

RINDGE, N.H. (December 10, 2003) – Four members of the Franklin Pierce men’s soccer team were named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II All-New England Region first team announced this week.

            Senior midfielder Felix Brillant (Montreal, Quebec/College Francais) was selected for the fourth-straight year, while classmate Sean McCabe (Derry City, Northern Ireland), junior Mark Jansen (Enschede, The Netherlands) and sophomore Lars Bakker (Enschede, The Netherlands) each earned their first All-Region selections.            

Brillant, just the program’s second four-time All-New England honoree in program history (Bojan Vuckovic, 1991-94), played a large role in the Ravens resurgence to the top of the Northeast-10 Conference and New England Region. While his five total points for the season were a career-low he was invaluable, serving as the team’s “quarterback” in the central midfield. Brillant tied for second on the team with five assists this fall, with two coming on match-winning goals and another on a match-tying marker.

            Brillant finished his Franklin Pierce career with seven goals and 25 assists for 39 points in 68 career matches played. His 39 points rank 19^th on the program’s career scoring list, while he also ranks ninth all-time in career assists. Brillant, the program’s first four-time All-Northeast-10 selection, earned NE-10 Freshman of the Year accolades in 2000 when he also earned All-America status.            

McCabe was the Ravens leader on defense in his second year at the College since transferring from Mercyhurst College prior to the 2002 season. He backboned a Franklin Pierce defensive unit that yielded just 1.53 goals per game (8^th NE-10) and posted seven shutouts this fall. McCabe also netted his first career goal in a match with Nova Southeastern University.

            McCabe, also a first team All-Northeast-10 selection for the first time in his career this season, played 33 career matches and totaled four points with a goal and two assists from the back. The Ravens also yielded just 1.47 goals per match over his two-year career.            

Jansen made an immediate impact in his first year with Franklin Pierce up front. He matched the Conference lead with ten assists to go with three goals (two match-winners) for 16 points, which ranked second on the team. Jansen produced match-winning goals against Assumption College (in overtime) and Merrimack in back-to-back contests and was named NE-10 Player of the Week for his efforts. He was selected to the All-Northeast-10 Conference second team this fall.

            Bakker also made an immediate impact in his first season for Franklin Pierce, leading the team with 37 points (2^nd NE-10) and 16 goals (2^nd) to go with five assists in 18 matches. He also led the team with four match-winning tallies and also recorded a hat trick and one match-tying marker.            

Bakker, also a first team All-NE-10 pick, already ranks 22^nd on the program’s career scoring list after just one season and 15^th on its career goals list. He earned NE-10 Player of the Week honors on two occasions this season.

            Franklin Pierce, ranked No. 19 in the final NSCAA/adidas Division II poll, posted an 11-6-2 overall record this past fall and earned the program’s ninth NCAA Tournament berth before falling in the first round to No. 7 UMass Lowell, 3-0, in New Haven, Conn. The Ravens finished with an 11-2 record in Northeast-10 Conference play, good for second place in the regular season.