| Year: | 2024 |
| Team: | Men's Soccer |
There’s nothing better in college soccer than a truly gifted and well-rounded player. This is precisely what Suffolk found when Ben Rollins joined the team in 2009.
Rollins dominated play as a serious offensive threat for the Rams. With career stats of 21 goals, 16 assists and 58 points. He distinguished himself as one of the best to ever sport a Suffolk kit.
After a Suffolk Rookie of the Year campaign as a freshman in 2009, he helped propel the Rams to new heights in 2010. The blue-and-gold worked its way to the 2010 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship as the field’s fourth seed. The program’s first-ever league title came behind a home win over Emerson and upsets at Lasell and Albertus Magnus, respectively. The crown was thanks in large part to the tournament’s MVP, Rollins. He supplied two goals and one assist in the three-game playoff run for the Rams that pushed Suffolk to the NCAA Tournament for the first time.
“My favorite memory of playing soccer at Suffolk is winning the GNAC championship with my brothers,” Rollins said. “We entered the GNAC tournament as the fourth seed … I will remember fighting together as unit and winning the championship for the rest of my life.”
Two years later, as a senior, the forward started all 18 games and topped the team in all offensive categories with 23 points on eight goals and seven helpers. His 23 points tied for third in the GNAC, while his strikes and handouts were good for a share of fifth among his conference counterparts en route to a spot on the All-GNAC second-team. He was the backbone to Suffolk’s offense, which wrapped up the campaign 45th among all NCAA DIII programs with 2.25 goals per game and 42nd in total goals with 45.
The two-year captain excelled at the highest level and was called the “heart and soul” of the team by head coach Andrius Zeikus.
Zeikus added, “He was a leader both on and off the field, a positive influence to his teammates, and a person with tremendous work ethic.”
Academically, Rollins was selected to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-District First-Team presented by College Sports Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Environmental Engineering student-athlete, who maintained a 3.50 grade point average, was the first Suffolk men’s soccer player to earn the recognition and advanced to the Academic All-America ballot.