The Empire 8 Athletic Conference has announced the 2017 Women’s Soccer All-Conference teams as voted on by the conference’s coaches. In addition, the Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year have been selected.
Offensive Player of the Year: Julia Panko, Stevens Institute of Technology
Julia Panko, the 2016 Rookie of the Year, is the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year. Panko’s honor marks the third straight year a Stevens’ player has earned the recognition. Panko has put together another stellar season for the Ducks as she currently leads her team and the conference with 28 points to date. Her 10 goals and eight assists rank first in the conference. She has registered at least one point in 11-of-18 games played, including six points on a hat-trick against Houghton. Of her 28 points, 23 of them came against conference opponents including eight goals and seven assists.
Defensive Player of the Week: Madison Miller, Hartwick College
Madison Miller repeats as the defensive player of the year, marking the second time in league history that the same player has earned the award twice; Ithaca College’s Anna Gray was honored in 2011 and 2013. Miller anchored a defensive unit that limited the opposition to less than one goal per game (0.50) and was part of 12 shutouts. She also recorded two goals and one assist. Miller started all 20 games to help lead Hartwick to its second straight E8 tournament and first as the top seed with a 7-1 league record.
Co- Rookie of the Year: Miranda Timberlake, Nazareth College
Miranda Timberlake played in 15 of a possible 18 games for the Golden Flyers. She finished second on the team and ninth in the conference with 12 points (5g, 2a). Timberlake’s Rookie of the Year honors marks the third time in league history a Nazareth Player has been recognized. She joins previous honorees Erica Conte (2007) and Kaylee Benz (2008).
Co- Rookie of the Year: Courtney Velho, Hartwick College
Courtney Velho made an immediate impact on the Hawks’ field this year. She started all 20 games along side Miller on defense. Velho and the Hawks limited opponents to a .48 goals against average, which ranked second in the conference. Velho’s Rookie of the Year honor marks the second time a Hartwick player has been recognized, joining previous receipient Becca Malinowski (2004).
Coaching Staff of the Year: Hartwick College
Brian Knapp, in his first season as the head coach, and his coaching staff guided Hartwick to a share of the Empire 8 Championship for the first time in program history. The Hawks earned the top seed in the conference tournament where they defeated Alfred in the semifinals and battled to a scoreless tie with nationally ranked Stevens. The Hawks finished the season with a 13-5-2 record, marking the highest win total since 1992.
Sportsmanship Team
In addition to the yearly awards and all-conference teams, one member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2017 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 2017 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams