CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A pair of repeat winners highlight the 2014 America East women’s soccer major awards, the conference office announced Wednesday. Four teams were represented in the six major honors, with Hartford and Maine both earning a pair while Albany and UMBC took home one apiece. The major award winners, along with the all-conference teams, were determined in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Hartford claimed its first America East regular season title since 2006 and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament, and with it came a second-straight Striker of the Year honor for senior Chanel Johnson. Hawks’ head coach John Natale captained a group that earned Coaching Staff of the Year. Maine also had a pair of award winners in Goalkeeper of the Year, Claudia Dube-Trempe, and Defender of the Year, Noelle Leon-Palmer. UMBC midfielder Jessy Brown was named Midfielder of the Year for the second-consecutive season and Albany freshman Vivian Vega was named Rookie of the Year.
Johnson is the third player in America East history to be named Striker of the Year in back-to-back seasons. A unanimous All-Conference First Team selection, she led the conference in goals with 11 and points with 25. Not only was the senior the conference’s leading scorer, but she found the back of the net in critical situations as six of her 11 tallies were game-winners. Johnson scored four of her goals during conference play and also led the league in shots with 91.
Brown, who was the first major award winner in UMBC program history a year ago, is the first student-athlete to be named Midfielder of the Year in back-to-back seasons. The senior captained the UMBC offense by tallying seven goals and five assists to rank fourth in conference with 19 points. She helped the Retrievers to their best non-conference record in program history and the No. 2 seed in the America East tournament. Brown had two goals and two assists during conference play.
Leon-Palmer anchored a Maine defense that was the best in the America East during conference play, surrendering just three goals over 820 minutes for a 0.33 goals against average to be named Defender of the Year. She is the second-straight Black Bear to earn the honor and fourth overall.
Dube-Trempe became just the second Black Bear and first since 2005 to be named Goalkeeper of the Year. The sophomore led the conference during league play in both goals against average (0.33) and save percentage (.936). She also ranked second in saves with 44, helping Maine surrender just three goals through eight conference contests.
Vega is the third Great Dane to be named Rookie of the Year and the first since Chelsea DeVerna in 2009. She is helped Albany become the highest scoring team in the America East this season, leading the team and all freshmen with 21 points. She also tied for second in the league and first among rookies with eight goals, and ranked fifth in assists with five. She helped Albany lead the leage in goals per game at 1.74.
The Hartford coaching staff, lead by head coach John Natale, won the America East regular-season crown for the first time since 2006. It is the third such award for the coaching staff and third in the last four years. The squad was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll but finished with a 5-1-2 mark during conference play, surrendering just three goals to tie for the fewest allowed during league play.
Joining Johnson and Vega as All-Conference First Team forwards is Hartford junior Sidney Spremullo, who tied an America East single game record earlier this year with eight points in a match. Brown highlights the All-Conference First Team midfield and is joined by Albany sophomore Alexa Schneider, Maine junior Charlene Achille and Stony Brook junior Tessa Devereaux. Leon-Palmer anchors the All-Conference First Team back line with Hartford junior Emma Donnelly and UMBC junior Amira Walcott also earning honors. Walcott was a second team selection last season, while Donnelly and Leon-Palmer both earn their first nods. Maine’s Dube-Trempe is the All-Conference First Team goalkeeper.
The All-Conference Second Team forwards features Binghamton junior Katherine Corcoran, UMBC sophomore Amanda Dailey and New Hampshire senior Caroline Murray. In the midfield is Albany sophomore Caitlyn Paltsios, Binghamton sophomore Katie O’Neill, Hartford junior Kristen McAdams and New Hampshire freshman Brooke Murphy. UMBC junior Jen Nance is the goalkeeper, with the back line of Albany sophomore Shelby Belak, Binghamton senior Connie Gormley and Maine junior Joanie L’Abbe playing in front of her.
Vega was one of two Great Danes named to the All-Rookie team, joined by fellow forward Kiana Rugar. New Hampshire also placed two on the All-Rookie team in second-team selection, Murphy, along with back/midfielder Sydney Vaughn. The rest of the teams each had one freshman named to the squad. The forwards included Binghamton’s Jacque Rice and UMBC’s Lisa Nanov, while Maine’s Kendra Ridley was the lone back on the All-Rookie team. Midfielders Melina Spanos (Hartford), Shannon Groffie (UMass Lowell), Sydney Vaughn (Stony Brook) and Sarah Martin (Vermont) rounded out the 11 selections.
In addition to the all-conference teams and major award winners, the America East also announced the All-Academic Team. To be eligible for the All-Academic team, a student-athlete must carry at-least a 3.3 GPA and play in 50 percent of the team’s games. Student-athletes are then nominated and voted on by a group of Faculty Athletic Representatives, Sports Information Directors and Academic Advisors.
Four all-conference selections also were named to the All-Academic team including Maine’s Joanie L’Abbe (3.98, Exercise Science/Pre Med), Albany’s Caitlyn Paltios (3.97, Psychology), Hartford’s Emma Donnelly (3.92, Biomedical Engineering) and Jessy Brown (3.57, Biology). Also earning selections are Albany junior Krista Fitzpatrick (3.96, Sociology/Criminal Justice), Binghamton senior Emily Nuss (3.87, Cell & Molecular Biology), Maine’s Eve L’Abbe (3.98, Exercise Science/Pre Med), UMBC junior Nikki Boretti (4.00, Biology & Psychology), UMass Lowell junior Collen Corliss (3.90, Biology), New Hampshire sophomore Mimi Borkan (3.91, Statistics) and Stony Brook senior Shannon Grogan (3.79, Coastal Environmental Studies).
The 2014 America East Championship begins on Thursday, October 30 with two quarterfinal games as No. 3 New Hampshire hosts No. 6 Binghamton at 7 p.m., and No. 4 Albany hosts No. 5 Maine at 7 p.m. No. 1 Hartford and No. 2 UMBC will host semifinal games on Sunday, Nov. 2, and the 2014 title game will be held either Nov. 8 or Nov. 9 at the highest remaining seed. All five tournament games will air for free on AmericaEast.TV. For more information on the 2014 America East Championship, visit the Championship Central page at www.AmericaEast.com.
| 2014 America East Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams |
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| First Team |
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| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
School |
Hometown/High School/Previous |
| Forward |
Vivian Vega |
Fr. |
Albany |
Santa Ana, Calif./Segerstrom |
| Forward |
Chanel Johnson |
Sr. |
Hartford |
New London, Conn./New London |
| Forward |
Sidney Spremullo |
Jr. |
Hartford |
Woodbury, Conn./Waterford |
| Midfielder |
Alexa Schneider |
So. |
Albany |
Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue |
| Midfielder |
Charlene Achille |
Jr. |
Maine |
Longueuil, Quebec/CEGEP Eduard Monpetit |
| Midfielder |
Jessy Brown |
Sr. |
UMBC |
Plantation, Fla./American Heritage |
| Midfielder |
Tessa Devereaux |
Jr. |
Stony Brook |
Fayetteville, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt |
| Back |
Emma Donnelly |
Jr. |
Hartford |
Kanata, Ontario/Collego Catholigue Frano-Ouest |
| Back |
Noelle Leon-Palmer |
Jr. |
Maine |
Ajax, Ontario/Pickering High School |
| Back |
Amira Walcott |
Jr. |
UMBC |
Beltsville, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt |
| Goalkeeper |
Claudia Dube-Trempe |
So. |
Maine |
Chambly, Quebec/Clebe Collegiate |
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| Second Team |
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| Forward |
Katherine Corcoran |
Jr. |
Binghamton |
Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park |
| Forward |
Amanda Dailey |
So. |
UMBC |
Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township |
| Forward |
Caroline Murray |
Sr. |
New Hampshire |
New Canaan, Conn./New Canaan |
| Midfielder |
Caitlyn Paltsios |
So. |
Albany |
Westford, Mass./Westford Academy |
| Midfielder |
Katie O’Neill |
So. |
Binghamton |
Kearny, N.J./Kearny |
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| Midfielder |
Kristen McAdams |
Jr. |
Hartford |
Colchester, Vt./Bacon Academy |
| Midfielder |
Brooke Murphy |
Fr. |
New Hampshire |
Monson, Mass./Monson |
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| Back |
Shelby Belak |
So. |
Albany |
Amherst, N.H./Souhegan |
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| Back |
Connie Gormley |
Sr. |
Binghamton |
Stony Point, N.Y./North Rockland |
| Back |
Joanie L’Abbe |
Jr. |
Maine |
Laval, Quebec/CEGEP Ahuntsic |
| Goalkeeper |
Jen Nance |
Jr. |
UMBC |
Millersville, Md./Severna Park |
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| All-Rookie Team (11 regardless of position) |
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| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
School |
Hometown/High School |
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| Forward |
Kiana Rugar |
R-Fr. |
Albany |
New Fairfield, Conn./New Fairfield |
| Forward |
Vivian Vega |
Fr. |
Albany |
Santa Ana, Calif./Segerstrom |
| Forward |
Jacque Rice |
R-Fr. |
Binghamton |
Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson |
| Midfielder |
Melina Spanos |
Fr. |
Hartford |
Waterford, Conn./Waterford |
| Back |
Kendra Ridley |
Fr. |
Maine |
Ottawa, Ontario/Clebe Collegiate |
| Forward |
Lisa Nanov |
Fr. |
UMBC |
Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley |
| Midfielder |
Shannon Groffie |
Fr. |
UMass Lowell |
Toms River, N.J./Toms River |
| Midfielder/Back |
Veronica Hardy |
Fr. |
New Hampshire |
North Smithfield, R.I./La Salle Academy |
| Midfielder |
Brooke Murphy |
Fr. |
New Hampshire |
Monson, Mass./Monson |
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| Midfielder |
Sydney Vaughn |
Fr. |
Stony Brook |
Ballwin, Mo./Marquette |
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| Midfielder |
Sarah Martin |
Fr. |
Vermont |
Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spaulding |
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| All-Academic Team (11 regardless of position) |
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| Name |
School |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
Hometown/High School |
| Krista Fitzpatrick |
Albany |
Jr. |
3.96 |
Sociology/Criminal Justice |
Levittown, N.Y./Division Avenue |
| Caitlyn Paltsios |
Albany |
So. |
3.97 |
Psychology |
Westford, Mass./Westford Academy |
| Emily Nuss |
Binghamton |
Sr. |
3.87 |
Cell & Molecular Biology |
Syracuse, N.Y./Jamesville-DeWitt |
| Emma Donnelly |
Hartford |
Jr. |
3.92 |
Biomedical Engineering |
Kanata, Ontario/Collego Catholigue Frano-Ouest |
| Eve L’Abbe |
Maine |
Jr. |
3.98 |
Exercise Science/Pre Med |
Laval, Quebec/CEGEP Ahuntsic |
| Joanie L’Abbe |
Maine |
Jr. |
3.98 |
Exercise Science/Pre Med |
Laval, Quebec/CEGEP Ahuntsic |
| Nikki Boretti |
UMBC |
Jr. |
4 |
Biology & Psychology |
Garmisch, Germany/Archbishop Spalding |
| Jessy Brown |
UMBC |
Sr. |
3.57 |
Biology |
Plantation, Fla./American Heritage |
| Colleen Corliss |
UMass Lowell |
Jr. |
3.9 |
Biology |
Pittsfield, N.H./Pittsfield |
| Mimi Borkan |
New Hampshire |
So. |
3.91 |
Statistics |
Medfield, Mass./Medfield |
| Shannon Grogan |
Stony Brook |
Sr. |
3.79 |
Coastal Enviromental Studies |
Eastampton, N.J./Holy Cross |
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| Striker of the Year: Chanel Johnson, Hartford |
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| Midfielder of the Year: Jessy Brown, UMBC |
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| Defender of the Year: Noelle Leon-Palmer, Maine |
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| Goalkeeper of the Year: Claudia Dube-Trempe, Maine |
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| Rookie of the Year: Vivian Vega, Albany |
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| Coaching Staff of the Year: Hartford |
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