Hall of Fame
The 2001-02 men's soccer team still stands as the most succesful team in the 58-year history of the program. The Cadets won their first 21 games during the 2001 season on their way to clinching their third straight GNAC Tournament championship with a 1-0 win over Western New England College.
"On paper they looked like a great team, but the reality is we were even better than that," head coach Bob Friske said. "The team worked so hard. The guys were just as close off the field as they were on the field."
Led by Tim Kyrkostas' 16 goals and 25 assists for 57 points and Mariano Conte's 16 goals and six assists for 38 points, NU outscored its opponents 90-19 during the memorable campaign. In goal, junior keeper Josh McElroy recorded 12 of the team's 13 shutouts and continues to hold nearly every single season and career goalkeeper record at NU. After receiving a first round bye, the Cadets beat Keene State, 2-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to perennial powerhouse St. Lawrence in the Round of 16.
"Midway through the season, my assistant coach and I would look at each other and say something special is going on here," Friske noted. "We had some monumental wins against Middlebury and Plattsburgh and it was really fun. We just kept trying to win every game in front of us."
