Bridgewater, NJ -- After a season-long battle at the top of the NEC men’s soccer table, and the top contenders got their flowers with the announcement of this year’s major awards and all-conference teams.

As voted on by the league’s head coaches, NEC regular season champion FDU earned a pair major awards, while LIU, Howard and Saint Francis claimed one apiece.

For FDU, senior forward Arnau Rabassa Guillamon (Llavaneres, Barcelona, Spain/INS Llavaneres (CCSU)) became the first FDU player to garner NEC Player of the Year accolades in 22 years, and did so in unanimous fashion. His second year head coach, Jaymee Highcock, was voted NEC Coach of the Year after leading the Knights to their first league regular season crown since 2022.  

Holding down the back line for LIU, senior defender Niklas Thanhofer (Obertrum Am See, Austria/SRG Salzburg (IU Indy)) achieved NEC Defensive Player of the Year status.

Saint Francis veteran netminder Diego Garciarena (Asucion, Paraguay) shined between the posts for the Red Flash in 2025, earning him this year’s NEC Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Howard won its first major award since joining the league as an associate in 2021 with freshman midfielder Naim Robinson (Detroit, MI/Blue Valley North) voted NEC Rookie of the Year.

A four-time NEC Player of the Week, Rabassa Guillamon finished the regular season as the conference’s golden boot leader, netting 10 goals in his debut campaign for the Knights. Rabassa Guillamon also posted conference-best regular season numbers in points (22), points per game (1.29) goals per game (0.58) and game-winning goals (four). His goals and goals per game rank 20th and 26th, respectively, in NCAA Division I. The Barcelona native notched three multi-goal outings this season with all of them coming down the stretch over FDU’s final five matches. Rabassa Guillamon upgraded his All-NEC second team selection a year ago with CCSU to an NEC Player of the Year award and All-Conference first team nod in 2025. Becoming the fourth FDU player earn the honor, Rabassa Guillamon joined the likes of Johnny David (2003), David Gouldstone (1995) and Abdel Aziz Ibrahim (1989).

Thanhofer anchored an LIU back line that allowed a league-low 14 goals while posting a conference-best 0.82 GAA and eight shutouts. Four of the Sharks’ clean sheets came in league play, all in their last four matches, as LIU enters the postseason riding a 388-minute scoreless streak. Offensively, Thanhofer netted the second-most goals in the conference with seven, and his 15 points are also tied for second in the NEC rankings. Thanhofer was one of two NEC players to turn a hat trick this season with his coming in a 5-2 win at Quinnipiac on September 16. The native of Austria led the Sharks to their 12th consecutive NEC Tournament appearance as their quest for three-peat continues. Thanhofer was the second LIU player recognized as NEC Defensive Player of the Year, joining 2018 award winner Erik Johansson.

Making 12 starts in goal, Garciarena was a brick wall for the Red Flash, registering a league-best .840 save percentage against league opponents. Additionally, the junior goalkeeper produced four shutouts and 0.89 GAA against in conference play as the Red Flash went 7-2-0 in NEC matches to earn the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament. Garciarena was tabbed NEC Player of the Week on October 27 for a standout 13-save shutout performance in SFU’s 1-0 win over regular season champ FDU. He was one of two goalkeepers to earn the honor this season. Garciarena became the second Red Flash goalie to win NEC Goalkeeper of the Year laurels in the past three years, joining Jordaine Jaeger (2023).

Hailing from Detroit, Robinson collected a pair of NEC Rookie of the Week awards this fall, totaling eight points on two goals and four assists in his debut season for Howard. The freshman midfielder’s four setups were not just the most by any rookie on the circuit, but were tied also for third among all conference players. In addition to his major award, Robinson was the lone freshmen voted to an All-NEC squad, earning second team accolades. 

In just his second season leading the Burgundy and Blue, Highcock led the Knights to a 7-1-1 conference record and an 11-4-3 overall mark to finish at the top of the NEC table and claim its first regular season crown since 2022 and eighth in program history. In pursuit of the program's tenth NEC Tournament crown, Highcock has guided his Knights to the top seed in the NEC Tournament for a second consecutive season. He directed the NEC's most prolific offense in the conference this fall as the Knights netted 34 goals, dished 31 assists and tallied 99 points, which are all at the top of the conference rankings. Their total 11 wins are also the most by any team in the conference this season. FDU also boasted a stifling defense, registering seven clean sheets while conceding a league-low five goals against conference rivals. Highcock now stands alongside Seth Roland and Ben Stravato as FDU coaches to earn the distinction.

AWARD WINNER HIGHLIGHTS

• FDU led all teams with six All-NEC selections, including four on the first team alone. Saint Francis and LIU collected four All-NEC honors apiece. Both Stonehill and Le Moyne earned two spots on the all-star squads while Mercyhurst and New Haven each had one.
• SFU had the most All-Rookie honorees with three as LIU was the only other team to earn multiple selections. CCSU, Chicago State, Le Moyne, Mercyhurst and New Haven each boasted one All-Rookie selection.
• Red Flash middie Jonah Wolf (Benndorf, Germany/SV Gonsneheim) was tabbed a first team all-star in his sophomore season after earning All-Rookie accolades a year ago.
• The 2022 NEC Tournament MVP and All-Rookie pick that same year, FDU’s Jaime Barbero (Valencia, Spain/IES Fuente San Luis) attained All-Conference first team status after netting a league-best four game-winning goals.
• Howard’s Daniil Kaban (Kharkiv, Ukraine) upgraded his Rookie Team kudos to a second team all-star honor in his sophomore year.
• Mercyhurst defender Benjamin Buckley (Doneraile, Ireland/Nagle Rice Secondary School) was voted to the All-Conference second team squad in back-to-back seasons.
• Another strong sophomore campaign came from Vito Kreuzpaintner (Munich, Bavaria, Germany/FOS Nord (UNC Wilmington)), who elevated his status from an All-Rookie nod to All-NEC second team kudos.
• New Haven’s Alessandro Bizzini (Imola, Bologna, Italy/Liceo Scientifico Valeriani) was the first Charger to garner All-Conference distinction after being voted to the second team in the Blue and Gold’s inaugural DI season. Bizzini tied for the league-lead with five shutouts and ranked second in save percentage (.757).

About The Northeast Conference

Now in its 45th season, the NEC is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of ten institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to a number of the largest markets in the United States including New York (#1), Chicago (#3), Boston (#9). Hartford/New Haven (#32) and Syracuse (#88). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 25 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 16 different NCAA Championships. NEC full member institutions include Central Connecticut, Chicago State, FDU, Le Moyne, LIU, Mercyhurst, New Haven, Saint Francis U, Stonehill and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.necsports.com) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, all @NECsports.