ANNVILLE, Pa. – The Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth released today the 2017 all-conference teams for women's soccer, and Messiah was decorated with 10 different honors, including Defensive Player of the Year (
DJ Cole) and Rookie of the Year (
Lydia Ewing).
Five different Falcons were named to the First Team: Cole, Ewing,
Brooke Firestone,
Barb Foster, and
Sunny Gelnovatch. Four others—
Julia Kyne,
Abby Monko,
Lydia Eichorn, and
Skylar Ulry—were named Second Team, and
Megan Mansfield was named Honorable Mention.
The 10 honors for Messiah is their second-most in program history, trailing only the 11 honors earned in 2015.
Special Distinction
DJ Cole's Defensive Player of the Year award is her second in as many seasons. Last year, she earned the honor from the midfield, and this year it came after sliding to centerback. Regardless of her position, Cole has proven to be one of the best two-way players in nation, with her speed and persistence limiting opponents on the ground, in the air, and everything in-between.
Behind Cole is
Lydia Ewing, who is the first keeper in program history to earn conference Rookie of the Year honors. She also joins
Sara Yunez as the only keepers in program history to earn First Team honors. Yunez achieved the honor last season, and was poised for a terrific 2017 campaign before an early-September injury opened the door for Ewing. The first-year goalie has been nothing short of outstanding, and her 0.13 goals against average is No. 1 in all of NCAA Division III. She also holds a 0.889 save percentage, good for No. 19 in the nation.
From the Back
Cole and Ewing were recognized with special honors, but the Messiah defense was otherwise well-represented with
Barb Foster,
Lydia Eichorn, and
Skylar Ulry all named all-conference. Eichorn and Ulry flank Cole, and Foster has been a dynamic contributor from the midfield, and together they helped Messiah allow just two goals in the regular-season. The team's goals against average (0.110), save percentage (0.933), and shutout percentage (0.889) all lead the nation.
The Falcons' defense also allowed just 4.2 shots to opponents in the regular-season, and Messiah opponents collected just 18 total corner attempts across 17 games prior to postseason play.
Trained and Ready
Messiah's five leading scorers—
Brooke Firestone (8g, 10a),
Megan Mansfield (8g, 5a),
Julia Kyne (4g, 8a),
Sunny Gelnovatch (5g, 5a), and
Abby Monko (4g, 3a)—were all recognized across the all-conference teams. Firestone (26) and Mansfield (21) are each over 20 points, and Firestone (3), Gelnovatch (2), and Monko (2) have each tallied multiple game-winners.
Messiah's attack finished with a 2.65 goals per game margin to lead the conference, and their 47 total goals trailed only Arcadia. The goal output may seem low for Messiah, but they scored 33 times in the final eight games of the regular-season, a pace that matches previous seasons. It's worth noting, too, that four of the five honorees listed above are first year or sophomore players.
Yesterday evening the Falcons won 2-0 over Lebanon Valley in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinal, and tomorrow they will host Arcadia in the conference title game at 5:00 p.m.
A complete listing of the All-MAC Commonwealth honors is below.
| Offensive Player of the Year: Jess Kelly (Sr.), Arcadia |
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| Defensive Player of the Year: DJ Cole (Jr.), Messiah |
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| Rookie of the Year: Lydia Ewing (Fr.), Messiah |
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| Coach of the Year: Kelly Wakeman, Widener |
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| First Team All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Rileigh Jo Evitts |
Lebanon Valley |
Junior |
| Forward |
Brooke Firestone |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Forward |
Jess Kelly |
Arcadia |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Barb Foster |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Midfielder |
Sunny Gelnovatch |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Midfielder |
Sam Hooker |
Stevenson |
Junior |
| Defender |
DJ Cole |
Messiah |
Junior |
| Defender |
Erica Bross |
Albright |
Junior |
| Defender |
Veronica Pontis |
Arcadia |
Junior |
| Defender |
Shea Scannell |
Widener |
Junior |
| Goalie |
Lydia Ewing |
Messiah |
Freshman |
| Goalie |
Alexis Tunney |
Albright |
Junior |
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| Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Claire Brier |
Alvernia |
Sophomore |
| Forward |
Julia Kyne |
Messiah |
Junior |
| Forward |
Crissy Terraces |
Albright |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Mia Bertolami |
Arcadia |
Junior |
| Midfielder |
Stephanie Maggio |
Arcadia |
Junior |
| Midfielder |
Abby Monko |
Messiah |
Freshman |
| Midfielder |
Maria Petrongolo |
Alvernia |
Senior |
| Defender |
Lydia Eichorn |
Messiah |
Senior |
| Defender |
Emmie Santoleri |
Lebanon Valley |
Senior |
| Defender |
Skylar Ulry |
Messiah |
Senior |
| Goalie |
Tiffany McKee |
Stevenson |
Senior |
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| Honorable Mention All-MAC Commonwealth |
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| Forward |
Alyssa Dionisio |
Widener |
Sophomore |
| Forward |
Megan Mansfield |
Messiah |
Sophomore |
| Forward |
Teanna Shutt |
Lebanon Valley |
Senior |
| Forward |
Meghan Ross |
Lebanon Valley |
Senior |
| Midfielder |
Kristen Carrete |
Arcadia |
Senior |
| Defender |
Gabrielle Campbell |
Widener |
Junior |
