BRIDGEWATER, N.J. - The Northeast Conference announced their All-NEC accolades on Tuesday afternoon and the Knights have plenty to celebrate as they secured seven honors for the 2023 season.
Senior midfielder Tony Gomez received recognition on the First Team All-NEC while Spencer King, Jayd Hamdaoua, and Jeffrey Marquez secured spots on the Second Team All-NEC. The Knights had an influx of newcomers on the roster for the 2023 season and saw the dividends pay off as Jonathan Ghobrial, Mario Ibeas, and Gabriel Le Guen were named to the NEC All-Rookie team.
Santander, Spain native Gomez picked up his first ever NEC yearly accolade by being named to First Team All-NEC after a career-high 13 point season. The midfielder played in all 17 matches and started 16 of them while notching a career-high five goals on the season. Gomez finished tied for second in the NEC for game winning goals with two, the first clutch performance by the senior came in the second game of the year when he was able to score a breakaway goal in the 73' minute against the the Hofstra Pride. Gomez stayed clutch throughout the season when he picked up his second game winner in the Knights 5-1 victory over Stonehill as he blasted a free kick from just outside the "18" past the goaltender in the 51' minute. Gomez tallied nearly 1,300 minutes for FDU in 2023 and played 70 or more minutes in 13 matches.
Knights goalie Spencer King is no stranger to NEC accolades as he picks up Second Team All-NEC to add to his resume. Graduate student King has been an integral part of the FDU roster for the better part of four seasons, in 2022 he was named NEC Goalkeeper of the Year. The Ottawa, Ontario, Canada native finished tied for first in the NEC for clean sheets during the 2023 season picking up six of them, with his most notable coming in a September non-conference matchup against Villanova. The Knights sneaked away with a 0-0 draw versus the Wildcats while King picked up a career-high 14 saves. He faced an influx of shots this season and answered the bell by saving 83 shots on target and posting a career-best .798 save percentage. King started all 17 games for the Knights and was named NEC Player of the Week two times during the season.
The next Knight to be recognized as Second Team All-NEC is Jayd Hamdaoua. The forward joined FDU before the 2022 season and after getting acclimated to a new team for a season he exploded for 15 points in 2023. The 15 points was good enough for Hamdaoua to be tied for seventh in the NEC for points scored on the year. The Paris, France native notched six goals on the year with a matchup with Howard being his most notable performance. FDU faced off against the Bison to kick-off conference play and Hamdaoua took control of the game scoring three goals to help FDU win 4-2. The senior logged 1,228 minutes while playing in all 17 matches, starting in 13 of them.
An unsung hero to the Knights season was centre-back Jeffrey Marquez. The hometown kid from North Bergen, N.J. saw action in 15 of the Knights 17 games and he picked up the start in all 15 matches. The sophomore logged 1,328 minutes on the season and put together 12, 90 minute shifts for the Knights. Marquez was a key part of an FDU defense that pitched six clean sheets during the 2023 season. One of his most notable moments came at Saint Mary's (CA) when he was able to save a shot on goal that would have given the Gaels a 1-0 lead late in the match; FDU ended up with a 0-0 draw. Marquez notched his first career assist in a Knights 1-0 win over Lafayette when he played a ball into the box in the 74' minute that connected with teammate Eric Dlabal to put the Knights ahead. The Second Team All-NEC honor is the first NEC accolade in his young career.
The first of three NEC All-Rookie Team selections is Mario Ibeas. The Castellon, Spain native scored three goals on the season to notch six points during his rookie campaign. Ibeas showed his potential late in the season in a game against Stonehill where he scored two goals to help the Knights win 5-1. The forward accumulated 415 minutes in 2023 by playing in 10 matches and starting five of them.
The next NEC All-Rookie Team selection is Jonathan Ghobrial. The Mississauga native logged 1,133 minutes and started 16 of the Knights 17 matches. The 1,133 minutes for Ghobrial was fifth most on the team and the most tallied by a freshman. He played a key role in the midfield throughout the season and was able to tally two points on two assists. His first career point came in a 4-2 win over Howard when he played a ball to the back post in the 23' minute that connected with Gomez to give the Knights a 1-0 lead. He tallied his second and final point of 2023 in the 5-1 win over Stonehill when he connected with Hamdaoua in the slot who was able to snipe a ball past the Skyhawks 'keeper. The first year player had six shot attempts on the season.
The last Knight recognized on the NEC All-Rookie Team was Gabriel Le Guen. The Ploemeur, France native was a huge contributor to the Knights defense in 2023. Despite missing a portion of the season due to injury the centre-back started all 12 contests he played in and logged 1,029 minutes for FDU. The back line of the Knights relied heavily on Le Guen as he was apart of two of the teams six clean sheets. The freshman earned the trust of head coach Seth Roland early in the season who played the six-foot-one defender 90 minutes in 10 of the 12 matches he appeared in.
The #3 seeded Knights season continues on Thursday afternoon as they travel to LIU to take on the #2 seeded Sharks in an NEC Semifinal bout. The two programs matched up only a week prior where the Sharks edged out the Knights with a 1-0 win. Fans can tune in to the rematch at 1 PM on NEC Front Row as the Knights will be looking to capture revenge and head to the NEC Final on Sunday.
