MAC Press Release
ANNEVILLE, Pa. - On Thursday morning, the Middle Atlantic Conference announced their end of season awards and annual All-Conference Teams. Of the 31 student-athletes honored on this season's teams, Messiah had 10 Falcons named All-MAC Commonwealth, including
Brooke Firestone (Offensive) and
DJ Cole (Defensive) Players of the Year and head coach
Scott Frey earning his fifth MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year Award.
In addition to their Player of the Year Awards, Firestone and Cole were named First Team All-Conference along with teammates,
Sunny Gelnovatch,
Barb Foster, and
Sara Yunez. A pair of Falcons earned Second Team honors with
Maddie Kohl and
Sarah Strachan each earning their first All-MAC Commonwealth nod.
Julia Kyne,
Megan Mansfield, and
Kayla Herr were all included as Honorable Mention All-Conference players this season.
Since the conference split the Player of the Year award into two categories (offensive and defensive) in 2013, Messiah has swept the two awards in five of the six years.
DJ Cole earned her third-straight Defensive Player of the Year award, making her just the second Falcon to ever earn three Player of the Year awards (
Nikki Elsaesser, offensive '13-'15).
Cole earns her the honor after anchoring a defensive line that has been one of the best in the country this season. Messiah has allowed just three goals this season for a 0.17 GAA through their first 18 matches this year, the second best mark in the country. Cole has started all 18 games on the defensive line this season and made a total of 62 starts in her career.
Three other members of the Falcons' defensive unit were named as All-Conference honorees. Defenders
Barb Foster (First Team) and
Sarah Strachan (Second Team) as well as goalkeeper
Sara Yunez (First Team) have been key cogs in the backline for Messiah all season long. Between the pipes, Yunez has logged over a 1,000 minutes this year with 19 saves, a 0.27 GAA, and a 0.864 save percentage. The defensive unit, anchored by the play of Cole, Foster, and Strachan keeps Messiah keepers from seeing too many shots. On the season, opponents have taken a total of 61 shots (putting 28 on frame) through 18 games for just 3.4 total attempts per game. Messiah has allowed double-digit shots just once (10 vs. Arcadia, Oct. 24), while allowing two or fewer shots 11 times this season.
The First Team honors for Yunez and Foster are the second of their Messiah careers, while Strachan collects her first career All-Conference nod this season with the Second Team accolade.
On the other end of the pitch,
Brooke Firestone earned her first Offensive Player of the Year honor for her abilities to put the ball in the back of the net. The junior tallied a team-high and conference-high 15 goals during the regular season and added seven assists to help Messiah to a 4.00 goals per game average in the regular season. That mark was tied for fifth in the country heading into the Conference Tournament. Firestone showed off her scoring prowess, notching two goals in the first six minutes of Messiah's semifinal victory over Lebanon Valley last night, bumping her season totals to 17 goals and seven assists on the year.
Joining Firestone up front are a pair of All-Conference players with
Julia Kyne and
Megan Mansfield each earning Honorable Mention accolades. So far this season both have tallied seven goals with Kyne adding six assists for 20 total points. Mansfield has dished out three assists on the year for 17 points through 18 games in 2018. The All-Conference honor marks the second of the career for both Mansfield and Kyne. Last season Mansfield was named Honorable Mention while Kyne picked-up Second Team honors.
The Falcons' midfield features a pair of dynamic scorers that earned All-MAC Commonwealth honors this season in
Sunny Gelnovatch (First Team) and
Maddie Kohl (Second Team). From her attacking midfield position, Gelnovatch is the second leading scorer for the Falcons, and third in the conference, with 10 goals and four assists for 24 points on the year. Sophomore
Maddie Kohl has collected six goals and assisted on six others to rank fifth on the team with 18 points this season. The First Team honor for Gelnovatch is the third of her career while Kohl's All-Conference honor is her first. In addition to the offensive minded midfielders, freshman
Kayla Herr earned an Honorable Mention nod for her solid play controlling the middle of the field for the Falcons. After coming off the bench in the first two matches of the season, Herr established herself as an everyday starter for the Falcons, collecting one goal and one assist on the season.
Patrolling the sidelines for the Falcons is head coach
Scott Frey, who currently is in his 19th season at the helm of Messiah. In 2018, Frey was awarded his fifth MAC Commonwealth Coach of the Year honor (2000, '07, '13, and '15) after leading the Falcons to a 16-1-1 overall record so far and a 7-0-1 mark in the conference during the regular season. In his career, Frey owns a 396-23-25 (.920 winning percentage) overall record since taking over the Falcons prior to the 2000 season.
After defeating Lebanon Valley 3-0 in the MAC Commonwealth Semifinals on Wednesday night, Messiah now turns their attention to the MAC Commonwealth Championship Match against the Arcadia Knights on Shoemaker Field this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
