SOMERSET, N.J. - FDU men's soccer has plenty to celebrate heading into the 2022 Northeast Conference Championship Semifinal on Thursday, November 10 as the side took home three major NEC awards, as announced by the league Tuesday afternoon following the opening round of the NEC tournament.

Knights head coach Seth Roland earned his second NEC Coach of the Year nod while junior Hugo Bacharach was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Senior Spencer King, the Knights' dominant goalkeeper took home the NEC Goalkeeper of the Year award for the first time in his career.

Joining the duo in receiving postseason recognition on the First Team All-NEC is senior midfielder Jordan Alonge, while Edoardo Calzola, Tony Gomez and Fallou Tounkara earned slots on the Second Team. Newcomer Jaime Barbero tallied his first conference honors and was voted onto the NEC All-Rookie Team.

Roland, in his 26th season, recently recorded his 350th career victory with 230 of those wins coming on the banks of the Hackensack. The Teaneck, N.J. native, the eighth head coach in program history, will lead the Burgundy and Blue to the NEC tournament for the second-consecutive season and third time in the last four campaigns, most recently capturing the nine league crown in 2019. Taking FDU to the NEC tournament for the 19th time since his first campaign in 1997, Roland guided the squad to an unbeaten regular season record in NEC play for the first time in program history as the Knights went a remarkable 6-0-2 in conference fixtures this season. The Knights' gaffer guided the side to a stellar effort in non-conference action against then-No. 2 Wake Forest in a 3-2 defeat that was anything but a setback.

Bringing his team to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face the Demon Deacons, the Burgundy and Blue were the first team this season to score in the first half against the ACC side and tallied another goal in the second half - the most goals scored on Wake Forest through their first nine games of the 2022 season. The honor was Roland's first since the 2000 season and he joins Ben Stravato (1989) as the only other coach to receive the award, as voted on by their peers in the nine-team NEC.

One of the Knights' captains and a mainstay in the back line, Hugo Bacharach continued to make his presence known on the pitch as the second Knight to be named NEC Defensive Player of the Year. The Benicassim, Spain product and six-foot-four defender earned his third-straight slot on the First Team All-NEC following his heroics in 1,182 minutes over 14 contests in 2022. Bacharach logged seven points by way of three goals and one assist, including two beautiful headers off corner set pieces in non-conference bouts against UMBC and Wake Forest, both on the road. A key part of the FDU defense, Bacharach played the full 90 in all but three games this season.

Wearing the off-colored No. 25 jersey is Spencer King, the Knights' senior goalkeeper who did not allow a single goal in NEC play this season. Recording an overall record of 7-4-3 with eight shutouts in 2022, King came off the field with nine clean sheets and ranks 31st in Division I in goals against average (.810). In conference play, the keeper from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada led the NEC in saves with a perfect save percentage and 22 stops in league games, along with shutouts per game and goals against average which was a remarkable .000. King recorded a year-best five saves in the Knights' NEC opener at Sacred Heart on September 25 and recorded three or more saves in all but two matches played. Over 14 games, King faced 141 shots with a total of 47 saves, the most since Jahmali Waite's 79 saves in the 2019 season - the year in which Waite's stop in penalty kicks secured the NEC title and a trip to the NCAA Championship.

A key part of the FDU midfielder, London, England native Jordan Alonge netted a goal and a pair of assists in 15 starts this season. The third-year Knight attempted 40 shots with 14 coming on-target. Alonge's lone score of the campaign served as some insurance for the Knights with the senior delivering the second goal in a 2-0 victory over the Pioneers, the Knights' opponent in Thursday's semifinal match at University Stadium. Alonge picks up his second First Team All-NEC recognition after last year's campaign in which he also was named to the Third Team All-Northeast Region by United Soccer Coaches (USC).

Earning a nod on the Second Team All-NEC, Calzola (Perugia, Italy) made 16 starts and countless tackles to win the ball and feed the front lines. The senior was joined by last season's NEC Rookie of the Year Tony Gomez who netted a team-best three goals (tied with Bacharach, Barbero and Tounkara) in 13 starts this season. Gomez finished his second season at FDU with eight points and one assist, in addition to the three scores. A graduate student captain, Tounkara returned for his fifth season in Teaneck as the Dakar, Senegal product logged 1,384 minutes in 16 caps for the Burgundy and Blue. Earning Second Team All-NEC status in back-to-back seasons, Tounkara finished the year with three goals and one assist with two game-winners.

Arriving from Valencia, Spain in 2022, Jaime Barbero was a force up top earning two starts in 10 fixtures with three goals in just over 300 minutes of work. The forward converted three of his seven shots-on-target for goals, a mark of nearly 43 percent while his shots-on-target percentage was .636 (7-for-11).

The Knights matched Merrimack for with each side sporting six student-athletes on the First and Second All-NEC Teams. LIU's Emil Jaaskelainen was tabbed Player of the Year while the Rookie of the Year award went to Saint Francis U (Pa.) goalkeeper Jordaine Jaeger.

#1 FDU returns to action on Thursday, November 10 at 7 p.m. against #4 Sacred Heart in the 2022 NEC tournament semifinal live from University Stadium on NEC Front Row and the NEC On the Run App.

Connect with FDU men's soccer on Twitter and Instagram, @FDUKnightsMSOC.