Nassif, Komar Claim Offensive and Rookie ECAC Honors
DANBURY, Conn. – Ten Empire 8 women's soccer players claimed Division III ECAC Upstate honors for teh 2015 season. Junior
Raba Nassif and freshman
Zisi Komar of the Stevens Institute of Technology women's soccer team highlighted the list with Offensive and Rookie of the Year honors, respectively.
Nassif, the national leader in assists with 19, was tabbed First Team All-Upstate while claiming Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Northvale, N.J. native was also the Empire 8 Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Second Team All-American.
Komar capped off a stellar freshman year by being named Rookie of the Year. Additionally, Komar was named E8 Tournament Most Valuable Player and the E8 Rookie of the Year. The San Diego native scored 20 goals, and scored the game-winning goal against Ithaca College in the E8 Conference Championship.
Stevens Head Coach
Jeff Parker took home Coach of the Year, piloting the Ducks to an 18-4-1 mark, including a 7-0-1 record during the E8 regular season. Parker guided the Ducks to their first Empire 8 Championship since 2011, and saw the program record its 250th career win.
Sarah Gabriele led the Highlanders in goals (13) and total points (32), and concluded her career with 23 goals, 19 assists and 65 total points.
Ithaca's Kelsey King, who has already been named First-Team All-American and All-Region by the NSCAA earlier in the month, led the Bombers in scoring and ranked fifth in the Empire 8 Conference with 24 points. Her 87 shots was fourth-most of any conference player this season while her 1.2 points per game ranked fifth overall.
The Coopersburg, Pa. native scored two or more goals in a game twice this season while eclipsing the three-point plateau on three different occasions. The senior midfielder accounted for two game-winning goals on the season leading her to be named First-Team All-Conference for the third time in her career.
Beth Coppolecchia, who was named Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-Region by the NSCAA, posteda 13-5-2 mark in goal for Ithaca. The senior goalkeeper stood among the best goalies in the conference, ranking second in goals against average (.744), save percentage (.891) and total saves (123). Her seven shutouts this season was tied for the second most of any conference keeper during the 2015 campaign.
Coppolecchia tallied 10 or more saves in a game this season five times including a season-best 13 stops in the conference finale against Stevens.
Ithaca's Holly Niemiec was named to the ECAC's Second-Team after previously being named First-Team All-Conference by the Empire 8. The junior forward ranked second on the team in scoring and seventh overall in the conference with 18 points. Her 43 shots was ninth-most among all Empire 8 players as was her 2.26 shots per contest.
Niemiec started every game for the Bombers this season and led the team in assists with six. She tallied one game-winning goal overall against nationally-ranked R.I.T.
The reigning Empire 8 Defensive Player of the year, Aimee Chimera was voted to the All-ECAC Second-Team after the Pipersville, Pa. native Chimera was named All-Region for the second time in her career. Chimera started every game for Ithaca's back line this season as the junior helped guide the Bombers to one of the best defenses in the nation after allowing a paltry .75 goals against average.
She found a way to contribute offensively after tallying two goals on the year including the game-winning mark against Keuka College in the Bombers' season-opener. For her efforts, Chimera was also named First-Team All-Conference for the second straight year.
Stevens seniors
Carly Bean and
Bella Romano were named to Second Team, with Bean getting a nod as a midfielder and Romano as a defender. Bean finished the season with six goals and five assists, while also recording 44 shots. Romano tallied her first career point in a 7-0 win over Brooklyn College on October 14, and helped anchor a backline that surrendered less than a goal a game.
Sophomore defensive back Alexis Lamb anchored a Highlander defense that posted 13 shutouts and allowed only 9.17 shots per game during the 2015 season.