With the addition of four new international freshmen, the number of European players on the 2013-14 Fairfield Stags soccer roster is now up to nine. Each of them brings a unique skillset which will hopefully help the team find success in the upcoming seasons. So, let’s take a look at each of these players.
Daniel Shaw– Shaw, a 6-foot-1-inch senior who has started as midfielder for the team since his freshman year, hails from Cheshire, England. He has already showcased his talent over his first three seasons as a Stag. The statistics over his campaign consist of six goals, six assists and 18 points. He was also a member of the MAAC All-Rookie Team in his freshman year and expects to see continued success throughout this season, his last with Fairfield.
Jon Clements– This is a player who has been instrumental to the Stags soccer team for years now. The senior from St. Albans, England plays forward and stands at 6 feet tall. In his freshman season, Clements was named to the All-MAAC First Team and All-Rookie Team as he had seven points and three goals to lead the team in both categories. Thus far through his senior season, Clements leads the team in both points and goals and helped the team to a key win over Yale as he scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory. With his skills, one can anticipate that Clements will be amongst the team leaders in most offensive categories by season’s end.
Jordan Ayris– After putting together a very strong sophomore season, the junior forward from Bicester, England looks to serve as a legitimate offensive threat this year. In his first season on the Stags soccer team, Ayris lead the team in both goals and shots as he started every game. In the past two summers, he has played with the Premier Developmental League as a member of FC London in Canada, placing among the league’s leading scorers there. Ayris is predicted to take many shots, hopefully leading to a surplus of goals for the junior.
George Newton– Newton is a sophomore defender from Cheshire, England in his second season with the Stags soccer program. He started in all 16 games of his freshman season, was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team, and is now a staple in the defense of this team. Interestingly enough, he even has connections to professional soccer through his cousin, Ben Marshall, who currently plays for Leicester City FC. With his defensive prowess, expect Newton to be a large reason why opposing teams are unable to score against the Stags.
James Taylor– A sophomore hailing from Lancashire, England, Taylor looks to be a force as forward this season with the Stags. Although an injury limited him to just five games last year, he is ready to break out of his shell this season as a full-fledged starter. Taylor’s résumé before Fairfield consists of playing with the Burnley FC Academy since the age of 8, scoring 91 goals in 110 appearances. Also, he played for Lancashire County and was the youngest player to represent Burnley FC as a reserve at the age of 15 years and 41 days. Although Taylor will not be a leading scorer this season, he is predicted to take that role after the departures of Shaw and Clements.
Joe Martin– Martin, a freshman from York, England, is already among the most important players on the Stags soccer team. The rookie goalkeeper is filling in for Michael O’Keeffe ’13 who started every game for the last four years and received All-MAAC honors every season. Let’s not forget that O’Keeffe was also in the 2012 Olympics as a member of the New Zealand soccer team. Needless to say, Martin has BIG shoes to fill. And guess what? He has done so, in admirable fashion. After starting each game for the Stags so far, Martin has already received MAAC Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week honors after recording his first shutout in a 1-0 victory against Yale. Expect him to perform commendably this season and in his next three years as a member of the Stags soccer team.
Martin Lindgren– A 6-foot-3-inch defender from Sundbyberg, Sweden, Lindgren joins the Fairfield soccer team as one of five freshmen. However, with his prowess as a defender, he has earned himself a starting spot as a freshman. Along with Newton as a defender and Martin as goalkeeper, expect the Stags to give up a minimum amount of goals this season with such a fortified defense.
Joan Brachmann and Ben Whitcomb– Brachmann is a 6-foot-4-inch freshman from Munich, Germany. Whitcomb is also a freshman who comes to Fairfield from Liverpool, England. The both of them play at the defender position. They have each earned many accolades overseas and look to have continued success here at Fairfield. However, they are yet to play in a game this season because of the other freshmen and upperclassmen playing at the position. After the departure of Matt Danaher ’14 and other defenders, these two are sure to see more playing time in upcoming seasons and serve as imperative role players.
Also, on Fairfield University Field Hockey, there are a few international products as well. Nikki McLucas, Felicitas Heinen and Julie de Paeuw all came to Fairfield from Europe and provide excellent skill sets that can help lead these Stags to success.
Nikki McLucas– Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, McLucas is a midfielder in her senior year who has thrived as a member of the field hockey program. Before coming to Fairfield, she played internationally with the GHK Club team, a top-six team in Scotland’s highest domestic league, and played on Scotland’s under 16, 18 and 20 district teams. In her freshman season of 2010, McLucas played in 17 of 19 games and started in six of them. The next year, she started in all 16 games for the Stags and even posted four points. In her junior campaign, she also started in every game and had 12 points with four goals and four assists. Based on her overall statistics and skills, McLucas is a threat on both offense and defense and shall continue to be a threat throughout this season, her last one as a Stag.
Felicitas Heinen– Heinen, a junior from Munich, Germany, is ironically the best scorer on this Stags team even though she plays defense. However, her skills at defense are not slipshod by any matter. Prior to playing for Fairfield, she played for a field hockey club in the Bundeslinga League, which is considered the best of all amateur leagues in Germany. During her freshman campaign, she started every game and earned a large number of accolades: All Mid-East Second Team, America East All-Rookie Team, America East Second Team, and two Rookie of the Week awards. That year, she also scored six goals and had 16 points. In her sophomore season, Heinen was named to the All Mid-East Region Team, earned two America East Player of the Week honors and received a spot on the All-Conference First Team after scoring 16 goals and 38 points. Heinen’s awards and statistics clearly speak for themselves as she is poised to lead the team in goals and points yet again this season.
Julie de Paeuw- She is one of the eight freshmen joining the field hockey team this season, but De Paeuw is the only international player of her class. Chaumont Gistoux, Belgium is her hometown and she played plenty of field hockey there at the forward position. She has been a member of the Under 21 Belgian Junior National Field Hockey Team since the age of 15. In addition to that, she played in the 2013 Under 21 Women’s Junior World Cup this past summer. Through six games this season, De Paeuw is already second on the team in goals and points scored behind Heinen. She has already earned the America East Rookie of the Week award after scoring three goals to help her team to a 2-1 record just two weeks ago. She should be noted as a breakout player this year, and as a star in her remaining three years with the field hockey team.
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