FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2016
MANSFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 continued formally recognizing its Hall of Fame Class of 2016 on Thursday, beginning with the three national champion teams. The final team to be honored was the 2007 Franklin Pierce men’s soccer team.
The Ravens defeated Lincoln Memorial, 1-0, in the title game to give the program its first-ever National Championship. They did so in thrilling fashion as the team’s leading scorer, David Clifton, found the back of the net in the 89th minute to win it for Franklin Pierce.
The Ravens would finish the season with a mark of 17-2-4, only allowing 15 goals to be scored against them all season long. Goalkeeper James Thorpe, who did not allow a goal in either the national semifinals or the finals, posted a remarkable .63 goals against average for the season and was named the National Player of the Year
The newest members of the NE-10 Hall of Fame were honored at the conference’s annual banquet, which was held on June 6.
- Clifton totaled 53 points on 25 goals and three assists during the 2007 season, including nine goals over five NCAA tournament games
- The Ravens won their third straight NE-10 regular season title in 2007 after going 11-0-2 in conference play, leading to a fifth consecutive NCAA tournament berth
- Head coach Marco Koolman was named the National Coach of the Year, while Thorpe, National Player of the Year, led a group of three All-Americans
- Thorpe still holds the NCAA record for most minutes played by a goalkeeper after logging 8,390 minutes of playing time during his career
ABOUT THE NORTHEAST-10
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
