News Release
NJCU�s SCOTT MODZELEWSKI NAMED NJAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK; SELECTED AS TEAM CAPTAIN
PITMAN, NJ...New Jersey City University senior defender SCOTT MODZELEWSKI (Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township) played a huge role last week in the #7 ranked Gothic Knights (18-4-1) advancing to the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons and establishing a single-season record for victories, and for his effort, he has been named the New Jersey Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for week 11 of the 2007 season. It is the first individual weekly honor of his career.
Additionally, Modzelewski was awarded by the NJCU coaching staff on Sunday night, when he was added as a team tri-captain, joining junior midfielders EDISON BILBAO and JONATHAN BILBAO (Carteret, NJ/St. Benedict�s Prep).
He is the second NJCU player to receive NJAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades this season. Freshman goalkeeper ANDRE VIOLA (Clifton, NJ/St. Joseph�s Regional (Montvale) earned the nod in week seven on October 15.
His play in the NCAA Tournament was inspiring especially considering he suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury against The College of New Jersey on October 20. He did not play in the final regular season game on October 24�a road tie against Rutgers University-Camden, which snapped NJCU�s seven-game winning streak. He only played 12 minutes in the entire NJAC Tournament�the final 12 minutes of a 1-0 loss to Montclair State University in the conference final on November 3, after missing the NJAC Semifinal against Ramapo College.
�Having a dislocated knee cap, I didn�t expect Scott to finish the season,� said first-year head coach Cristian da Silva, the 2007 NJAC Coach of the Year. �Unfortunately, I thought he might be done. But his courage, along with the work ethic displayed when he went to treatment [with NJCU athletic trainer Ann Marie Stoebling] two to three times per day to strengthen all his muscles and ligaments and to be back to play the first NCAA game, is one reason I made him a captain. I thought he might struggle [in the NCAAs], but as soon as he touched the first few balls against Castleton [NCAA First Round], he was back to his normal self.�
Part of a defense that allowed only 12 shots on goal in two NCAA games, Modzelewski�s ability to win balls in the air and on the ground limited the opposition�s chances, who did not score in his 176 minutes on the field during two NCAA games over the weekend�a 2-0 win over Castleton State College on November 10 in the NCAA First Round and a 4-1 rout of Hamilton College on November 11 in the Second Round.
Perhaps his most important contribution came at 23:35 of the first half of the victory over Hamilton. Off a free kick cross from Edison Bilbao into the box, Modzelewski used his 6-foot-2 frame and snapped a vicious header inside the left post for his second goal of the year and a 1-0 lead that helped spark a quick 3-0 lead in the game.
Da Silva, adding to his reasons for naming Modzelewski a captain, said: �He�s become one of the key leaders in practices, through his hard work and determination to get the team going. I think he became one of our top defenders, and is an offensive threat when it comes to free kicks or corner kicks.�
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Submitted 2007-11-14 16:44:01 by New Jersey City University Sports Information Department
