Ithaca seniors Rachael Palladino and Becca Salant were named to the D3Soccer.com All-America First Team. Salant earned one of four top awards, claiming Goalkeeper of the Year accolades, while Palladino adds this honor to another first-team all-America selection from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
Of the 33 named to D3Soccer.com's all-America team, Palladino was one of 12 to earn the honor more than once. She was a second-team selection in 2011.
Palladino concluded her career as Ithaca's all-time career leader in points and goals. She scored 149 points on 63 goals and 23 assists. Her assists rank fourth in program history. This season, she led the Bombers with 36 points on a team-high 16 goals and four assists. Palladino was named a District 3 All-Academic First-Team selection and was selected to the Empire 8 Championship Tournament All-Tournament Team.
She earned all-region nods for the fourth time in her career after being named to the second team as a freshman and the first team each year since.
The forward was selected Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, junior and senior and was named the Rookie of the Year in 2009. She became the first in Empire 8 women's soccer history to earn the award three consecutive years. Palladino has been named to the All-Empire 8 First Team all four years of her career.
Salant was named to the All-Empire 8 first team this season. Ranking fourth in the nation with a save percentage of .914 and seventh with a goals-against average of .369, Salant collected 11 complete shutouts. Salant made 85 saves during 1,949 minutes in cage. This season she was twice dubbed Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Week.
She was named to the NCAA Division III Academic All-America Women's Soccer Team. Salant was a second-team selection after earning first-team all-district honors earlier this season. Salant is the first women's soccer student-athlete to earn Academic All-America honors since Amy Scheffer tallied first-team accolades in 2009-10.
Ithaca advanced to the NCAA round of 16 for the fifth time in six years and finished their season with a school-record tying 19 victories. The Bombers matched a school record with 12 consecutive wins in a season.
D3soccer.com Release