Rutgers-Camden’s Baldiserra, Gidjunis
earn NJAC men’s soccer weekly honors

CAMDEN (Nov. 13, 2006) – Rutgers University-Camden midfielders Pat Baldiserra (Milmay, NJ/Buena Regional) and Mark Gidjunis (Cinnaminson, NJ/Cinnaminson) were both honored today as recipients of weekly awards from the New Jersey Athletic Conference after leading the Scarlet Raptors to the 2006 ECAC Div. III Men’s Metro Soccer Championship title Sunday.

Baldiserra, a junior who was named the ECAC tournament MVP, was honored as the NJAC’s Offensive Player of the Week. Gidjunis captured honors as the NJAC Rookie of the Week.


The honor was the second NJAC award this season for Baldiserra, a play-making center midfielder who also earned the NJAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 30, then was named the ECAC Div. III Metro Defensive Player of the Week the next day.

A three-time All-NJAC First Team player, Baldiserra capped his junior season with a goal and three assists while leading the Raptors to the ECAC Metro title. He scored his fourth career goal and added an assist in a 5-0 quarterfinal victory over City College of New York Nov. 16, then added an assist in each game over the weekend as the Raptors defeated Richard Stockton (2-1 Nov. 11 in the semifinals) and New Jersey City University (1-0 Nov. 12 in the title game).

The three assists gave Baldiserra 13 for the year, setting the program’s single-season record. The old mark of 12 was shared by Ruthven Williams (1976) and Mike Zeno (1995). Baldiserra also owns 24 career assists and will enter his senior season only four shy of Zeno’s program mark of 28.


Gidjunis finished his freshman season with two goals and three assists for seven points. Both of his goals came during the ECAC Metro tournament. He tallied his first career goal in the win over City College of New York, and then collected the game-winning tally in the semifinal victory over Richard Stockton. That goal came with 12:52 remaining to break a 1-1 tie.

The NJAC honors to Baldiserra and Gidjunis give the Raptors five weekly conference honors this season, including two to Baldiserra. Senior goalie David Cunningham (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) received the NJAC Defensive Player of the Week award on Sept. 18.

Sophomore forward Andrew Dorsey (Mt. Laurel, NJ/The King’s Christian School) notched NJAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 25 and received ECAC Metro Offensive Player of the Week honors the next day.

The Scarlet Raptors also had three players named to the national d3kicks.com web site’s Team of the Week this year. Junior midfielder Rodney Guishard (Mays Landing, NJ/Oakcrest) earned that honor Sept. 12, while junior backs Chris Amato (Stratford, NJ/Sterling) and Ryan Evans (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) were honored on Oct. 10 and Oct. 24, respectively