Terrier Sports
Vincent Bezecourt ’ 16 is the first Terrier to make a U . S . professional team in almost 20 years . ( Photo : Ben Solomon .)
Champion Terrier Now Plays for New York Red Bulls in MLS
The NEC champion Men ’ s Soccer team has now produced its first top flight professional . Vincent Bezecourt ’ 16 signed with the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer ( MLS ) this August , moving up from the team ’ s minor league USL squad . Bezecourt is the first Terrier to sign a major U . S . professional league deal since John Halama who pitched from 1991 – 94 at St . Francis before beginning his Major League Baseball career in 1998 .
Bezecourt , a midfielder , led the Terriers to the 2014 Northeast Conference Championship and a national ranking of 22 . In 2015 , he earned Third Team All-American honors after pacing the Red & Blue with seven goals , which was good for fourth in the Northeast Conference .
“ Vince has earned this opportunity with his play in USL and his attitude toward working hard every day to improve his game ,” said Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch . “ He shows qualities that we think will translate to the MLS level . This is a testament to Vince and to our organizations ’ player development system .”
In 19 appearances prior to his promotion , Bezecourt contributed six goals and led the league with eight assists and 45 chances . In 2016 , he recorded six goals and two assists in 18 regular season appearances , as well as a goal and four assists during the playoffs en route to NYRB II winning the USL Championship .
“ It was a nice surprise , I ’ m very happy to be here ,” said Bezecourt . “ When you are a USL player , you always look up at the big guys from the first team and you want to play with them , to train with them . I ’ m grateful for the opportunity and very thankful to all of the coaches from USL , the players and thankful for the trust from the coaching staff too .” ●
Men ’ s Water Polo Standout Plays in World University Games
Men ’ s Water Polo standout Nikita Prokhin ’ 19 played for Team Canada in the prestigious World University Games ( WUG ), which were held in Taipei , Taiwan this past August .
“ It was always a dream of mine to play for my country since I was a kid ,” Prokhin said . “ It was my first time playing for Canada . I actually have dual citizenship in Kazakhstan and Canada and I competed for Kazakhstan in other international competition . My family moved to Canada when I was 10 and I gained citizenship in 2014 .”
The junior credits his preparation at St . Francis College for helping him make the team . “ The game is much more physical at the NCAA level and we train much harder in the gym . I think I ’ m able to see the game better , have
Nikita Prokhin ’ 19 in the SFC pool . gained strength , and I ’ m much better on defense because it ’ s played much harder over here .”
Prokhin is excited for what ’ s in store for the 2017 Terriers . “ I think the training and international experience should really help me when our season starts . I know that the other guys on the team are really excited and determined to win our conference this season .”
The Terriers are now preparing for the post-season and hopes of returning to the NCAA Final Four . ●
ST . FRANCIS COLLEGE TERRIER | FALL 2017 | VOLUME 81 , NUMBER 1 15