The night prior to the start of the 2009 Northeast Conference men's soccer tournament, three members of the Fairleigh Dickinson University men's soccer team were honored with All-Conference accolades. Dominic Reinold (Wesseling, Germany/Gesamtschule Rodenkirchen) (Wesseling, Germany) earned Rookie of the Year honors, while Paul King (New Castle, England/Monkseaton) (Newcastle, England) earned a spot on the First Team. Jason Wells (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) (Montclair, NJ) was selected to the Second Team.
Reinold is in the midst of a memorable debut season for the Knights as he paces the Conference with 28 points and 12 goals, while his four assists are tied for the sixth slot on the loop. Needing to win their final five NEC contests in order to clinch their 16th berth to the postseason, the Knights did just that by outscoring their opponents 16-4 with Reinold leading the charge as his torrid scoring pace resulted in seven goals and two assists over that five-game span. A native of Wesseling, Germany, Reinold recorded at least one point on eight occasions this year, proving to be the catalyst in FDU's attacking efforts as the squad went 7-1 in those contests when the forward's name appeared in the boxscore. Reinold earned an unprecedented three adidas/NEC Rookie of the Week nods - one of which was coupled with adidas/NEC Player of the Week distinction - as he becomes the seventh Knight to be bestowed with NEC Rookie of the Year honors and the first since current teammate Samson Malijani (Lusaka, Zambia, /La Sapienza) (2006).
Sharing First Team All-League status with FDU's Reinold is sophomore Paul King (New Castle, England/Monkseaton) (New Castle, England). A Second Team All-NEC honoree as a freshman, King's 2009 campaign saw the New Castle, England native put forth well-rounded performances that resulted in 16 points (tied for fifth in NEC) on five goals (tied for eighth in NEC) and six assists (tied for third in NEC). King's six helpers were also a team best.
Sophomore defender Jason Wells (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) (Montclair, NJ/Montclair) was a staple in the Knights' defense all season. Wells helped anchor a Knight defense that rounded out the top-five in the conference in goals against average (1.19).
In Friday's first semifinal contest on the Great Lawn, the top-seeded Hawks take on fourth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson at 11:00 a.m., followed by #2 seed St. Francis (NY) entertaining #3 seed Quinnipiac at 1:30 p.m. The winner of the NEC championship match, which is slated for noon on Sunday, Nov. 15, will earn the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. First round NCAA action begins on Nov. 20 at campus sites yet to be determined.
