NORTHEAST-10 RELEASE
MANSFIELD, Mass. – Graduate students Rayane Boukemia (Strasbourg, France), Yannis Becker (Sittensen, Germany) and Tobias Esche (Bremen, Germany) of the Southern New Hampshire University men's soccer team were named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team to highlight nine Penmen selections when the league office doled out its end-of-the-year awards Thursday.
Boukemia, who earned Northeast-10 Player of the Week honors a league-best three times this season, tied for first in the conference in points (28), tied for second in game-winning strikes (4) and ranked fourth in goals (12), while tying for 13th in assists. Boukemia, who was also the only league member to capture more than one Player of the Week nod during the year, played in 14 matches and registered at least one point in eight of them – all Southern New Hampshire victories. A 2015 Third Teamer, Boukemia netted his first career hat trick in a 4-0 win against Post University on Sept. 7 and then potted four goals in a 4-2 win against Saint Michael's College on Oct. 19 to become the first Penmen to find the back of the net four times in a game since Sept. 7, 2002.
Becker tied for third in the league with eight assists, while also scoring a goal for 10 points. The midfielder, who was chosen as the NE-10 Player of the Week on Sept. 26, started all 17 matches for the Penmen, who were a perfect 5-0 when he contributed at least one point.
Esche also started all 17 games and was a stalwart on an SNHU back line that ranked second in the league in goals-against average (0.73) and goals against (13), as well as fourth in shutouts (7). Esche also chipped in, offensively, recording five points on two goals and an assist.
Senior Gilbert Manier (Kigali, Rwanda) earned a spot on the Second Team after helping Esche anchor the impressive defensive unit. Manier also tallied five helpers on the season, tying for 10th in the league in that category, while playing in 14 matches.
Sophomore Claude Diesse (Brossard, Quebec), an All-Rookie Team choice a year ago, joined Manier on the Second Team. Diesse aided heavily in the success of the defense, in addition to scoring a goal in a 4-0 triumph at Bentley University on Sept. 13. The midfielder was one of four Penmen to start all 17 matches.
Grad student Nick Zucco (Ludlow, Mass.), the league's Goalkeeper of the Year and a First Team pick last season, found a place on the Third Team. Zucco, who was selected as the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Week on Oct. 24, started 15 of the 16 matches he played in, logging 1459:16 in net. He went 10-4-2 with five shutouts to go along with a 0.80 GAA and .812 save percentage. Zucco ranked third in the league in save percentage, fourth in GAA and wins and fifth in shutouts.
Senior Enzo Giuliani (Toulouse, France) was also a Third Team selection after ranking second on the team with 16 points on eight goals in 16 matches. Southern New Hampshire was 6-1-1 when Giuliani found the back of the net, which he did in each of the final three games of the year.
Freshmen Romain Daniellou (Brieuc, France) and Louka Masset (Paris, France) both joined Zucco and Giuliani on the Third Team and also were recognized with All-Rookie Team honors. Daniellou notched 10 points on three goals and four assists in 16 games, with the Penmen going a perfect 5-0 when he posted a point. Masset was the only freshman to start all 17 matches as he was a key cog in the back line and also collected four points on a pair of goals.
The Penmen went 11-4-2, overall, including 8-3-2 in conference play. They earned the No. 5 seed and suffered a 2-1 double-overtime loss at Franklin Pierce University in the Northeast-10 Championship quarterfinals – bringing the chance for a fifth straight title to an end and marking the first time Southern New Hampshire would not be playing in the final since 2010.
The Penmen will await their fate and see if they earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Selection Show will air Monday, Nov. 7 (6:30 p.m.) at NCAA.com and can be viewed HERE.
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