Conference

Somerset, NJ -- Central Connecticut State sophomore midfielder Denise Thomas (Rotherham, England/St. Bernard’s) was selected the Northest Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Year in a vote by league head coaches. UMBC freshman forward Missy Moore (Silver Spring, MD/Good Counsel) took home NEC Rookie of the Year honors after leading the NEC in scoring, points per game and goals per game for the season. Sacred Heart’s head coach Joe Barroso was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Pioneers to a 7-3 conference record and their first-ever NEC Tournament playoff berth.

Thomas takes home NEC Player of the Year honors as a sophomore, after earning the NEC Rookie of the Year award last season. Also selected to the all-conference first team for the second consecutive year, she tallied 2 goals and 3 assists from her midfield position and helped lead CCSU to a 6-3-1 conference record. The Blue Devils have now had four different players win the league’s top individual honor in the past five years.

Moore also joins Thomas on the all-NEC first team after having an outstanding freshman campaign. The Retrievers forward was a burst of energy to UMBC’s offense this year, tallying 14 goals and 4 assists to combine for 32 points. She led the conference in scoring, points per game (1.88) and goals per game (.82) and has been among the national leaders in points per game and goals per game for much of the season. After UMBC’s absence in the postseason last year, Moore’s offensive numbers, including five game winning goals, helped the Retreivers clinch the #2 seed in this weekend’s NEC Tournament.

Along with Thomas, Central Connecticut placed two other players on the all-conference first team, sophomore midfielder Emma Wright (Boulton, England/Sharples) and sophomore defender Erica Leno (Enfield, CT/Enrico). Wright tallied 9 points (3 goals & 3 asissts) on the year, while Leno managed 4 points (1 goal & 2 assists) from her backfield position.

Three Quinnipiac players were among the all-NEC first team honorees that helped the Braves clinch their second consecutive NEC regular season title and the #1 seed in this weekend’s tournament. Junior forward Elisa Goncalves (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor) was named to the first team for the third consecutive year, while junior defender Melissa Ganias (Wallingford, CT/Sheehan (MA)) makes her second straight appearance and senior defender Chandra Manuelpillai (Walpole, MA/Walpole) joins the all-NEC squad for the first time. Goncalves, the 2000 NEC Player of the Year and 1999 NEC Rookie of the Year, ranked third in the league in scoring (22 points - 9 g & 4a), points per game (1.38) and goals per game (.56). Ganias and Manuelpillai were quite the tandem in the backfield for the Braves, while also contributing offensively with Manuelpillai tallying 2 goals and 1 assist and Ganias pitching in with an assist.

UMBC and Sacred Heart both had two players named to the all-conference first team. Joining Moore on the squad is the Retrievers sophomore defender Kristin English (Millersville, MD/Old Mill), who was a mainstay in the defense that helped UMBC string together a current 11-game unbeaten streak heading into this weekend’s tournament. The Pioneers sophomore midfielder Paula Pineda (Vigo, Spain/LaGuia) and sophomore goalkeeper Leslie Konsig (Millburn, NJ/Millburn) were key factors in helping Sacred Heart secure their first-ever NEC Tournament berth with a #4 seed in this weekends tournament. Both players were all-NEC second team honorees last year and made the jump to the first team this year. Pineda tallied 4 goals and 3 assists in conference play, while Konsig posted a 1.41 GAA and .810 (24 GA, 102 saves) save percentage overall and 0.80 GAA, .857 (8 GA, 48 saves) save percentage and 6 shutouts in conference play.

Freshman forward Aubrey McCullough (Forked River, NJ/Monsignor Donovan) of Fairleigh Dickinson rounds out the all-conference first team. She tallied nine of her team’s 30 goals on the year, including three of the five Knights game-winning goals. By the end of the season, McCullough worked her way into the league leaders in scoring (19 points - 9 g & 1a), points per game (1.19) and goals per game (.56).

Monmouth, the #3 seed in this weekend’s NEC Tournament, headlines the all-conference second team with four players, followed by Sacred Heart with three and CCSU, UMBC, FDU and St. Francis (PA) each with one. The Hawks freshman keeper Abby Shiffler (Hummelstown, PA/Power Dauphin) led the NEC with a 0.91 GAA and .828 save percentage and also posted six shutouts in net. Junior MF Cheryl Wroblewski (Brick, NJ/Brick) makes her second consecutive all-NEC second team appearance after notching 2 goals and an assist, while junior defender Shanna Palumbo (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge) makes her third all-conference appearance in the backfield. The Monmouth contingent is rounded out with junior defender Tricia Sellitto (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan), who helped the Hawks reamain as the top defensive team in the league for yet another year.

Sacred Heart’s senior defender Linda Ferencko (N. Kingstown, RI/N. Kingstown), junior midfielder Andrea Linder (Stockholm, Sweden/Univ. Stockholm) and freshman forward Ingrid Olsson (Stockholm, Sweden/Aso Gymnasium) all make their first all-NEC second team appearances. CCSU junior forward Candace Spinelli (Thompson, CT/Tourtelotte Memorial), FDU sophomore midfielder Kelly Geraghty (Elmont, NY/Sewanhaka), UMBC sophomore defender Jessa Karko (Perry Hall, MD/Institute of Notre Dame) and St. Francis (PA) senior forward Kristen Arnott (St. John’s, Newfoundland/Bishops College) round out the all-conference second team.

The NEC tournament kicks off play on Friday, November 9th on the campus of St. Francis (PA) in Loretto, PA. #2 UMBC, who are currently riding an unbeaten streak of 11-games, will play #3 Monmouth, who tied UMBC for second place in the regular season standings, in the opening game at 11:00 am. The second semifinal matchup will pit defending champion #1 Quinnipiac versus #4 Sacred Heart at 1:30 pm. The Championship game will take place on Sunday, November 11 at 1:00 pm, following an NCAA YES Clinic, which is being held in conjunction with the NEC Tournament.