The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the 2014 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams and yearly award winners, and teams are well represented across the board. Houghton senior Stephany Ellison earned Offensive Player of the Year accolades while Nazareth senior Tyler Carr secured the Defensive Player of the Year award. St. John Fisher College’s Jackie Ramano was selected as the Rookie of the Year and Nazareth was named Coaching Staff of the Year.
Ellison, a senior from Whitesville, put together another stellar season for the Highlanders to earn her second straight E8 Player of the Year honor. She scored 19 goals and registered four assists to lead the conference with 42 points. She registered at least one point in 13-of-15 games played and helped jumpstart Houghton’s offense to the tune of 34 goals and 2.13 tallies per game.
Carr, a Saratoga Springs, NY native, anchored a defensive unit that limited opposition to less than one goal per game (0.77). She started all 17 games she played in at center back to help the Golden Flyers post a 13-3-2 overall record and a 7-1 mark in league play which secured an E8 post-season bid for the 13th straight year. Carr is Nazareth’s third defensive player of the year since the conference started the award in 2006, joining previous recipients Hillary Simon (2010) and Amanda Sudore (2012).
Romano (Clifton Park, NY) made an immediate impact on the Cardinals’ field this year. She started 15-of-18 games and stands third on the team with nine points on three goals and three assists. Romano’s Rookie of the Year honor marks the first time a Fisher player has been recognized. The Cardinals completed the regular season with a 4-4-0 record in conference play and 6-11-1 overall to earn the No. 4 seed in the E8 tournament for the fourth straight season.
Gail Mann, in her 22nd season as Golden Flyers' soccer coach, and her coaching staff have kept the Golden Flyers competing at a high level throughout her tenure which is evident by the latest No. 16 ranking in the national NSCAA poll. The 2014 season is Nazareth's 21st straight winning season and the 18th time in the past 20 seasons in which they've recorded double digit wins. The Golden Flyers earned the second-seed in the E8 Tournament and will be looking to make its 13th straight appearance in the championship game.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2014 Women’s Soccer Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
Empire 8 2014 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Awards