West Hartford, Conn. – University of Hartford’s Meagan Riemer (Ellington, Conn./Ellington/Sacred Heart) was named America East Striker of the Year, while teammates Kellie Leyland (Merseyside, England/Women’s Int. Football) and Liz Cook (Halifax, Nova Scotia/Halifax Grammar) garnered Defender of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year honors, respectively, to highlight the honorees at the conference’s annual women’s soccer awards banquet on Saturday afternoon. In addition, the Hawks’ coaching staff was named Coaching Staff of the Year. Boston University’s Marisha Schumacher-Hodge and Farrell McClernon were also tabbed as Midfielder of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively. All voting was conducted by the head coaches at the America East institutions.
Complete All-Conference Team Breakdown (PDF)
Riemer finished the regular season in the top five in the conference in points (second), goals (third), and assists (fourth). She was named America East Player of the Week on October 9. She helped lead the Hawks to the regular-season title as they posted a 6-0-2 record during the year by netting a league-best five goals during conference play.
Leyland, a 2005 all-rookie selection, anchors a Hawk defense that allows just over a goal a game and has posted six shutouts, including five in conference play. In addition, Hartford’s defense has only allowed two goals to conference opponents all season long.
Cook was also instrumental in the Hawks’ stingy defense. She boasts a 1.03 goals against average, 0.36 in league play, and has registered five shutouts, all in conference play.
Head coach John Natale leads a Hartford staff that earns the first-ever America East Coaching Staff of the Year. Natale, who is in his third year at the helm in Hartford, captured the league’s regular-season crown and top seed, despite a sixth-place preseason billing. He is assisted by Margaret Tietjen and goalkeeper coach Jeremy Wilson.
Schumacher-Hodge, a 2005 all-rookie selection, was the coaches’ overwhelming choice as Midfielder of the Year. The sophomore helped the Terriers to a 6-1-1 record and a top-20 ranking for most of the 2006 season.
McClernon was the coaches’ unanimous choice for America East Rookie of the Year. The freshman earned America East Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week on two separate occasions. In addition, she ranks second in the league in goals (seven) and fourth in points (16).
Riemer is joined at forward on the all-conference first team by senior Lauren Erwin (Orange, Conn./Amity Regional) of Boston University, who was a first-team midfielder in 2005, and Laura Harper (Nepean, Ontario/Mother Teresa) of Maine. Erwin was a two-time America East Player of the Week this season and ranks in the top five in points and assists. Harper leads the league in points and goals with 22 points on 10 goals and a pair of assists. She also led the Black Bears to their first-ever NSCAA ranking during the 2006 season.
Schumacher-Hodge is joined in the midfield on the first team by Tricia Reed (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego), a 2005 second team selection, of Binghamton, Marie-Andree Canuel (St.-Jean-Chrysostome, Quebec/F.X.-Garneau) of Maine and Laura Guigli (North Stonington, Conn./Wheeler) of Hartford. Canuel, the 2005 Midfielder of the Year, repeats as a first-team selection, while Guigli also garners all-rookie accolades.
Leyland is joined on the league’s top team by a pair of Terriers, Erica Lee (Oakton, Va./Oakton) and Corie Halasz (Milford, Conn./Lauralton Hall). Lee and Halasz, who is also an all-rookie selection this season, anchor the league’s second-best defense. Boston U. allows just 0.56 goals per game, which ranks 16th nationally. They also have posted a league-best 12 shutouts in 19 games, including six of eight conference games.
The second team forwards consists of McClernon, Sara Flowers (Santee, Calif./Santana/Cal Poly Pomona) of Hartford and Brooke Barbuto (Syracuse, N.Y./Corcoran) of Stony Brook. Flowers, who was named America East Player of the Week on October 23, ranks first in the league in assists with eight. Barbuto, who was a 2005 all-rookie selection, ranks in the top 10 in points (eighth) and goals (third).
A well-balanced second team midfield includes Boston University’s Casey Brown (Natick, Mass./Natick), Marie-Michele Bouchard (Beauport, Quebec/F.X.-Garneau) of Maine, Hillary Mefferd (Portland, Ore./Jesuit) of New Hampshire and Kaitlin Francis (Hinesburg, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) of Vermont.
Maine’s Jordon Pekrul (Burlington, Ontario/Lord Elgin), Stony Brook’s Jackie Timmes (Mastic, N.Y./William Floyd), and Emilie Rowe (Rochester, N.Y./Churchville-Chili) of Vermont are the second team defenders.
Boston University’s Stephanie Dreyer (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) is the second-team goalkeeper. She leads the conference in shutouts with 11 and is second in goals against average at 0.41.
The all-rookie team is made up of McClernon, Brown, Halasz, Guigli, Jaclyn Rosada (Wycoff, N.J./Ramapo) of Albany, Nicole Montoya (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) of Binghamton, Laura Martel (Lewiston, Maine/Lewiston) of Maine, Shaunna Kaplan (Framingham, Mass./Framingham) of New Hampshire, Marisa Viola (Mattituck, N.Y./Mattituck) of Stony Brook, and Eliza Bradley (Charlotte, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) and Jenny Solberg (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) of Vermont.
Twenty of the 22 all-conference selections will be vying for the league title at the 2006 America East Women’s Soccer Championship, which gets underway with first-round action on Friday, October 27 at Hartford’s Al Marzook Field in West Hartford, Conn. For more information on America East women’s soccer, including the complete championship schedule, log on to the conference’s official website www.AmericaEast.com.