BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Northeast Conference pre-tournament banquet was held on the campus of LIU Brooklyn and it brought together all four teams – LIU Brooklyn, Saint Francis U, Robert Morris and St. Francis Brooklyn – participating in the 2015 NEC Men's Soccer Tournament that begins on Friday with semifinal round play.
LIU Brooklyn head men's soccer coach TJ Kostecky was voted NEC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Blackbirds to just the third perfect record (7-0) in league play (joining the LIU '85 and Robert Morris '95 teams) in the sport's 30-year history. This is Kostecky's first NEC Coach of the Year Award and third in his career. LIU finished the regular season with 11 wins for the first time since the 2002 season and claimed its first NEC regular season crown since winning a share of the title in 2004.
Freshman midfielder Rasmus Hansen paced the Blackbirds in scoring and was named NEC Rookie of the Year. Hansen earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors after finishing the regular season ranked third on the circuit with seven goals and 18 points. An NEC Rookie of the Week honoree back in September, the freshman also scored two game-winning goals for the Blackbirds.
Freshman Simen Hestnes earned All-NEC first team honors in his first season as a Blackbird after finishing the regular season ranked third on the team in points (10) off of three goals and four assists. Joining Hestnes on the first team were teammates Rasmus Hansen and Tanner Sica. Hansen led the Blackbirds in goals (seven) and points (18) during the regular season. Sica collected his third consecutive All-NEC honor, and made his initial first team appearance. The senior defender tallied five points while helping the LIU Brooklyn defense surrender just three goals in seven conference games, tied for first in the NEC.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Logan Keys took home his first All-NEC accolade. Keys leads the league in goals against average (0.36) and save percentage (.909), ranking second nationally in both categories. Keys also finished the regular season with seven shutouts.
The Blackbirds' Romario Guscott was one of five freshmen to earn NEC All-Rookie honors. Guscott currently ranks second for the Blackbirds and top-10 in the NEC in goals (six) and points (12). Joining Guscott are Hansen and Hestnes, along with defenders Filip Nordström and Erik Wahlin. Hansen, the 2015 NEC Rookie of the Year, currently ranks second among all rookies in goals (seven) and points (18) while leading the Blackbirds in both categories. Hestnes, the current NEC Player & Rookie of the Week, heads into the postseason with ten points to rank third for LIU. Nordström and Wahlin are part of an LIU Brooklyn defense that only gave up three goals in seven conference contests and helped the team to a league-best five shutouts in NEC play.