NEWARK, NJ – Seven members of the NJIT men's soccer team, headed by first-team honorees Eddie Romero, Devon Newton, and Alex Brito, were selected as all-Atlantic Soccer Conference players in awards presented at the annual season-ending ASC awards banquet.
The four Highlanders voted onto the all-conference second team were: juniors Gustav Warfving and Erik Magnusson and seniors Kayo Emojong and Ryan Sutherland.
The all-conference teams were chosen based on regular season play and were selected by the five conference head coaches. The awards banquet was held in conjunction with the conference postseason tournament, which was hosted by Longwood University in Farmville, VA.
Romero, a senior, ends his career holding numerous school Division I records – matches played (68), goals (13), assists (3) and total points (29).
This year, he started 18 of 19 games played and finished with 10 points on a team-best five goals. He also earned all-ASC first-team honors as a sophomore in 2005, when he scored a team-best 12 points on five goals and two assists.
Newton, a junior defender, was one of the keys as the Highlanders held opponents to a 1.86 goals against average. After a quiet freshman season where he appeared in only three matches, Devon earned the starting job the next year playing in every game but one, with 15 starts in the back. This year, Newton was the only Highlander to start all 20 games.
Brito, another key player on the Highlanders' back line, completed his second season for NJIT after coming over from Montclair State. This year he appeared in every game and started 19.
Magnusson, a strong player, led the Highlanders with 11 points and five assists and was
second on the team with three goals. His five assists this season ranks him first in NJIT's Division I era, surpassing Dylan Broadley, who posted three assists in 2005.
Magnusson was a 2007 ASC first-team selection when he scored a team-leading six goals, with two assists and 14 points
Warfving, recognized for the second consecutive year, played in 19 games, starting 13 for the Highlanders at midfield. He recorded one goal and one assist for three points.
Emojong, a key player in the NJIT midfield, started 18 matches and picked one goal and one assist.
Sutherland, a talented and experienced goalkeeper returned to the field for his senior season after redshirting the previous two years. His first 2008 start was in a 3-2 win at Manhattan and he took over for good as the starter around midseason.
Overall, Ryan played in 12 matches with 11 starts. He recorded 59 saves with a 1.55 goals against average. His record was 4-7-1, with one shutout against Howard on October 25.
As a sophomore, he appeared in six matches (four starts) and recorded the program's first ever Division I win – 2-0 vs. Manhattan on September 10.
The 2008 Highlanders finished their fifth season of Division I competition with a 4-14-2 record that included a 3-2-1 finish that began with a come-from-behind 2-1 upset of visiting Rutgers on October 22 and included the first postseason conference tournament win of the Division I era.
Adelphi's senior Patrick Figueiredo was named 2008 Atlantic Soccer Conference Player of the Year for the second consecutive year. Longwood's goalkeeper Joel Helmick was Rookie of the Year, while Adelphi's Carlo Acquista was honored as Coach of the Year.
