Somerset, N.J. – Saint Francis men's soccer have claimed three out of the five Northeast Conference major postseason awards and five players have been named All-NEC, the conference announced Tuesday.
Jordaine Jaeger was named NEC Goalkeeper of the Year,
Tom Schellbach earned Defensive Player of the Year and
Mads Kaiser garners Coaching Staff of the Year. Jaeger and Schellbach join
Julian Jakopovic on First Team All-Conference.
Joschi Schelb and
Fabian Wagner earned spots on the All-Rookie Team as well. This marks the fifth time in program history the Red Flash have placed five players on All-Conference teams.
Jaeger is the first ever Goalkeeper of the Year for the Red Flash, making history once again as he was named the program's first ever NEC Rookie of the Year last season. Jaeger was also named to the All-Rookie Team in 2022.
The Munich, Germany native has started in all 14 matches with seven victories and six shutouts on the season. The sophomore has had a stellar season between the posts with a conference best .73 goals against average and holds a .808 save percentage. Jaeger's save percentage is the 13th best in the nation and first in the NEC. Jaeger was named an NEC Prime Performer twice this season.
Schellbach earns Defensive Player of the Year after posting his best season of his Red Flash career. The first-year team captain has been a stalwart for the Red Flash in the backline while also recording a career-high seven shots on goal and an assist. Defensively, he has started in all 14 matches and has helped the Red Flash hold opponents to .79 goals per match. Through 14 matches, Saint Francis has allowed opponents score multiple goals just twice all season. This is the Freiburg, Germany native's first postseason honor of his career.
Jakopovic, a native of Stuttgart, Germany, earns First Team honors for the first time as he has started in every match for the last two seasons without missing a single minute. The innovative midfielder is second on the team with four assists while also chipping in a goal on the season. The sophomore picked up a NEC Prime Performer earlier in the season. He was also named to the All-Rookie Team in 2022.
Schelb's honor comes after a stellar rookie campaign where he collected a team high 13 points from three goals and seven assists. The freshman is tied for fifth all-time for assists in a single season in program history. The Freiburg, Germany native has started in all 14 matches for the Red Flash. Schelb was named NEC Rookie of the Week on three occasions this season.
Wagner earns All-Rookie recognition after making a huge impact for the Red Flash in his rookie season on the offensive side of the ball. The Grunsfeld, Germany native picked up two goals this season, one being a bicycle kick game winner against Bucknell in the 71st minute. Wagner has appeared in all 14 matches and has started six matches for the Red Flash. Wagner was named NEC Rookie of the Week once this season.
First year head coach
Mads Kaiser and his assistants
Ross Stewart,
Devyn Spielvogel and
Mohamed Bakayoko were named NEC Coaching Staff of the Year after posting a historic season for the program.
Kaiser led the Red Flash to the program's first undefeated regular season with an overall record of 7-0-7. The Red Flash were one of two nations this season that were unbeaten. The team is just the fourth program in NEC history to be unbeaten. The team hoisted the regular season champions trophy for just the second time in program history (2014) this season after defeating Howard in their regular season finale. Kaiser is the second head coach in program history to receive the honor (Michael Casper, 2014).
No. 1 Saint Francis men's soccer will face No. 4 Sacred Heart in the Northeast Conference Tournament Semifinals on Thursday, November 9 at 1:30 p.m. at the Stokes Soccerplex.
