Coming off an 11-5-3 season with an NEC Championship game appearance and their 13th conference playoffs in the past 15 years, the Fairleigh Dickinson men's soccer team will welcome six newcomers for the 2012 season.  On Friday, Head Coach Seth Roland announced that they will add David Cornwell (London, England/Drayton Manor) (London, England), Simon Doherty (West Lothian, Scotland/West Calder) (West Lothian, Scotland), Aleksander Djekic (Belgrade, Serbia), Sam Durkot (Centereach, N.Y./Newfield) (Newfield, NY), Yusuf Hamza (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) (Ridgewood, NJ) and Tyler Lundgren (Walkill, NY/Walkill) (Walkill, NY).
 
"This group of newcomers is talented, athletic and diverse,” Head Coach Roland said.  “Even though we have virtually everyone back from last year's team, they all have the potential to get on the field for us right away.  That should result in something that every team needs if they want to be good, which is competition for positions all over the field."

David Cornwell (London, England/Drayton Manor)
Position: Forward/Midfield
Height: 5'6/Weight: 130
Hometown: London, England (Brookdale Community College)

NSCAA 2011 First Team All-American… 2011 NSCAA/Continental Tire Junior College Division III Second Team All-America Second Team… 2011 NSCAA Junior College Division III First Team All-East… Scored 46 goals and recorded 23 assists in 43 career games… Ranked fifth in the nation in NJCAA Division III… All-time leading scorer at Brookdale… 2x All-Region XIX First Team… 2x All-Garden State Athletic Conference First Team.

“David is the kind of guy who depends on his savvy and instincts to score goals and set-up his teammates for goals.  He's clever, has good feet and is comfortable in and around the penalty area.  We look for him to help us as an attacking player either up top or out of the midfield."

Simon Doherty (West Lothian, Scotland/West Calder)
Position: Forward
Height: 5'8/Weight: 155
Hometown: West Lothian, Scotland (West Calder)
Club Team: Stirling Albion U-19 (Scotland)

Played for Cowdenbearth FC for four seasons and was their top goal scorer all four years… Made some appearances for the Cowdenbearth reserve first team… At Cowdenbearth, was coached by legends Jimmy Nichols and Colin Cameron… Moved on to play for Stirling Albion last season and led his team to a third-place finish in a very competitive league that featured 25 clubs… At West Calder, was selected to play for the county team that reached the semifinals of the Scottish Cup in 2011… Took part in the Scotland Schoolboys trials after being selected from his county team.

"Simon is a dynamic attacking player who possesses a good soccer brain, quick feet, and an eagerness to score goals.  His movement off the ball is exceptional, and he can be a handful for any defender to contain. Simon can do the three things that are a true sign of being a good forward: he can create chances for himself, he can create chances for others, and he can finish chances created by others."

Aleksander Djekic
Position: Goalkeeper
Height: 6'1/Weight: 175
Hometown: Belgrade, Serbia (Second Economic School)
Club Team: FC Cukaricki Stankom U-19 (Serbia)

Played U-12 through U-19 for FC Zemum and FC Cukaricki Stankom, which played in leagues on the national level… Voted “Best Average” in 2010 and 2012 by newspapers Sports Journal and Sport… 4x regional champion at Druga Ekonomska Skola and took third place in 2010 national championships.

“Alex is an extremely mature young man who is a solid presence in goal.  He has decent size, has good technique on both shot-stopping and crosses, and shows good courage as a goalkeeper.  He has tremendous upside and an outstanding work ethic."

Sam Durkot (Centereach, N.Y./Newfield)
Position: Midfield
Height: 6'0/Weight: 175
Hometown: Newfield, NY (Newfield)
Club Team: Commack United U-18

2x member of the NSCAA All-State Team… 2x Second Team All-Long Island… Newfield captain during junior and senior seasons…   3x All-Conference selection… 2x All-Suffolk County… 2011 Suffolk County Exception Senior Team Player… 2010 Suffolk County League III MVP…  Newfield team MVP in 2011… Newfield Offensive MVP in 2010… As a sophomore, led Newfield to Suffolk County League III division championship… Named Rookie of the Year and NYS Scholar Athlete Team Award winner as a freshman… 2x Rider Cup Tournament participant and National Championship participant for ODP… For ODP Region I team, was an Interregional Tournament participant and 2x International Tournament participant (Italy and Costa Rica).

"There is so much to like about Sam.  He is big, strong, and athletic, yet has really good feet and knows how to keep things simple and connect on his passes, as well.  As a lefty, he has the potential to help us anywhere up and down the left side of the field, as well as in the middle of midfield."

Yusuf Hamza (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood)
Position: Midfield
Height: 5'7/Weight: 145
Hometown: Ridgewood, NJ (Ridgewood)
Club Team: TSF U-18

Group 4 Second Team All-State in 2011… First Team All-Bergen County in 2011… Honorable Mention All-Bergen County 2010… 3x First Team All-League selection… 2011 Player of the Year… Team Captain in 2011 and led Ridgewood to its best season in a decade and beat power Dom Bosco twice in one season for the first time in school history, while making it to the New Jersey Group 4 Sectional semifinals.

"Yusuf is a technically gifted wide midfielder or winger who does especially well in one-on-one attacking situations.  His quickness and skill can give problems to defenders, and he can break down defenses on the dribble and create opportunities for his teammates."

Tyler Lundgren (Walkill, NY/Walkill)
Position: Forward
Height: 5-10/Weight: 165
Hometown: Walkill, NY (Walkill)
Club Team: PDA U-18

Team Captain during his junior and senior seasons… Tallied 32 goals and recorded eight assists over two season, while earning team MVP honors both years… 2x member of the Time Herald Record Varsity 845 Boys' Soccer All-Star First Team… MSG Top 20 Varsity Soccer Player as a senior… Full-time player for the PDA US Soccer Development Academy team in 2011-12… Member of the SAC ASL U-17 All-Event Team (NY Elite) in 2010-11… Walkill Outdoor Track and Field team Captain as a junior.

"A prototypical center forward, Tyler has all the tools to be a bona fide goal scorer at the Division I level.  He has decent size, moves well, and has good instincts for swooping in on chances that present themselves in the box."

FDU will kick off its 2012 campaign with a home match against Stony Brook on Aug. 24 at University Stadium in Teaneck, NJ.