New Haven soccer goalkeeper James Hilaire and Merrimack’s Robbie Sabadoz, who were involved in a freak collision last fall that resulted in Hilaire being partially paralyzed, were selected as co-recipients of the Northeast-10 Conference’s male sportsmanship award.

The accident occurred during a September 24 game between the conference rivals. Hilaire had charged out from the goal area to challenge Sabadoz, who was preparing to take a shot on goal. Hilaire dove to make the stop while Sabadoz was in the process of swinging his leg. Hilaire was inadvertently kicked in the jaw, sending him to the emergency room and to intensive care, leaving him with some partial paralysis to his right side.

Since the night of the accident, Sabadoz has tried to put the event behind him and help Hilaire at the same time. He organized letters of support from his team and the Merrimack community that were sent to Hilaire and his family. Sabadoz and Hilaire worked with their head coaches to set up a reunion meeting in mid-February that was chronicled in the NCAA’s Champion magazine. The two met at a Worcester-area restaurant for the first time since the injury, sharing stories about their experiences since the accident and finding two dinner specials on the menu (the “New Haven” and the “Merrimack”).

Hilaire and Sabadoz continue to keep in touch through phone, e-mail and text messaging. They met again April 25 when the Merrimack men’s soccer team went to New Haven to play in a tournament.

Hilaire continues to make strides in his recovery and will remain a part of the New Haven soccer program in a coaching role in the fall.

The Northeast-10 annually honors a male and female student-athlete who have demonstrated one or more of the ideals of sportsmanship, including fairness, civility, honesty, unselfishness, respect and responsibility. The sportsmanship recipients are forwarded as the conference’s nominees for the NCAA Sportsmanship Award. The NCAA selects a male and female winner from each of the three divisions as finalists, and then one male and female are selected as the NCAA Sportsmanship Award recipients.