Biography
By Jim Hague
To say that Rutgers-Newark soccer goalkeeper Jonathan Frances is a well-traveled young man would be a drastic understatement. Frances’ passport has been stamped more than you would find in a general post office. His frequent flyer numbers have to be higher than the Dow Jones average.
The 22-year-old Scarlet Raider net minder was born in Israel, but moved to France when he was 4 years old. He was raised in Paris, until he moved with his family to the United States, settling in Arizona, where he attended high school until he was a junior.
“That’s when we moved to Costa Rica for a year,” Frances explained. “I stayed there for my junior year of high school, then we went back to Arizona, where I graduated from high school.”
While Frances was a senior in high school in Arizona, he sent an unsolicited videotape to Rutgers-Newark men’s soccer coach Kevin East.
“He e-mailed us and sent us a video,” East said. “He looked good on the video and we needed to get a goalkeeper.”
“I knew that Rutgers-Newark had a good business school and the academics at the school are well known,” Frances said. “I talked to Coach East and I liked what he had to say about where he wanted to take the program. I thought it would be a good fit for me.”
Frances arrived in Newark in 2007 and played 14 games for the Scarlet Raiders that season. But he then received a chance to earn a scholarship to play at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte, an NCAA Division I institution. So it was time for the traveling man to hit the high road once again.
“I was injured in the off-season at Charlotte and I never got a chance to play,” Frances said.
So he packed his bags once again and headed back to France.
“I took a year off from my studies to deal with some family-related issues,” Frances explained. “I put my studies on hold.”
However, when the time came for Frances to resume his college days, he made another call to East to see if he could be welcomed back with the Scarlet Raiders.
“Before I made my decision to come back to Rutgers, I had to make sure that all my credits from Charlotte would transfer,” Frances said. “My academics are always my priority. Coach East assured me that I would play. He was open to having me come back on the team. I couldn’t think of a better place to resume my studies.”
So Frances grabbed the suitcases, packed his belongings and headed back to Newark. The passport received yet another punch.
“We had two other goalies coming in, but both dropped out,” East said. “I always had Jonathan in mind, but when he came back, I was a little concerned, because he was a little rusty. He wanted to compete.”
“Absolutely, I was away from the game for a while and I was rusty,” Frances said. “Training is one thing, but when you don’t have that game experience, you can get rusty. I had to get over that hump.”
Frances started 15 matches last season for the Scarlet Raiders, but admittedly wasn’t as sharp as he would have liked to be. He did post a 5-8-1 record and had a 1.65 goals against average, but wasn’t playing the way he wanted to.
However, now in his junior year, Frances has matured into the goalie that everyone thought he would become.
Frances has allowed just 13 goals in 12 games this season, helping the Scarlet Raiders get off to an impressive 9-4 record. He’s made 60 saves, some of which have been game savers, like the ones he made in the closing minutes last week to preserve a 2-1 win over FDU-Florham. He’s also collected four shutouts.
“He’s doing well for us and having a good year,” East said. “Last year, he was a little off his game, but this year, he’s come up with a lot of big saves. He has good reflexes and is a good shot stopper. He communicates well with the back line. His best asset is his shot stopping ability. He’s able to keep us in games.”
East believes that Frances is just coming into his own.
“I think his maturity helps,” East said. “Without a doubt, his age and experience is huge. They say that goalkeepers get better with age because it’s such a thinking position. It’s definitely paid off this year.”
Frances agrees that his maturity has been a major plus in his production this season.
“I think maturity and athleticism are important in goal,” Frances said. “I have learned a lot about positioning. I feel a little more comfortable in reading the position better.”
Frances is majoring in business at R-N, as part of the business school’s new supply chain management program.
“It’s a very vast field, covering every single step from raw material to the final product being on the shelves,” Frances said. “It covers distribution, inventory, production, customer service.”
Frances also serves on the executive board of the school’s new supply management chain program.
“I’m looking to perhaps gain my MBA (Masters in Business Administration) or perhaps get full-time employment,” said Frances, who had a bit of a head start working as an intern for L’Oreal at the company’s distribution center in South Brunswick last summer.
“It was a good experience for me,” Frances said. “For now, I’m just happy to be back and playing soccer here. The team has been playing tremendously. The defense has been together and we know each other well. It’s helped for more team cohesion. We’re doing well.”
And it’s safe to say that Jonathan Frances’ vagabond shoes have settled in well in Newark -- at least for the time being.
