Women's Soccer | 12/3/2019 9:19:23 AM
Five student-athletes from the Empire 8 were named to the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Division III All-East Region teams on Monday, December 2. Nazareth senior goalkeeper Hannah Miller and Hartwick junior defender Courtney Velho were named to the first team, while Nazareth junior midfielder Caleigh Cahoon and Utica senior forward Mikayla Blumenstock garnered second team accolades. Freshman defender Megan McCraith of Nazareth was also a third team pick.
Blumenstock was named the 2019 Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, while Velho was the Defensive Player of the Year and McCraith garnered Rookie of the Year accolades. All five honorees earned Empire 8 first team accolades in 2019.
All five student-athletes are eligible for All-America honors, which will be announced on Thursday, December 5.
Miller, of Butler, Pa., has posted strong numbers on and off the field throughout her four-year career at Nazareth. She started all 17 games in goal in 2019 for the Golden Flyers (9-6-2 overall) and had a 0.81 goals-against average, a save percentage of .880 and six shutouts. Her career statistics featured a 30-15-8 record with 22 shutouts. Miller garnered All-Empire 8 First Team honors for the third straight season in 2019. She was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.
Velho, a native of Derry, N.H., has been a mainstay on the Hartwick back line since she arrived in 2017. She was named the Empire 8 Co-Rookie of the Year in 2017, also earning First Team honors, and followed that up with another First Team selection in 2018. In 2019, Velho was named Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, while earning her third consecutive All-Empire 8 First Team honor. This season, Velho was the backbone of a defense that allowed just 15 goals in 20 games and two goals in seven Empire 8 games, best in the conference.
Miller and Velho were also named to the 2019 Academic All-District ® Women’s Soccer Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA).
Blumenstock, a native of Poland, N.Y., led all Empire 8 student-athletes in scoring and is among the top scorers in Division III with 22 goals and 47 assists. She scored at least one goal in 12 of her 17 games played with three hat-tricks. Blumenstock was named the United Soccer Coaches Division III Women’s Soccer Player of the Week on Nov. 5. In just two seasons with Utica, Blumenstock tallied 34 goals and 74 points in 38 games.
Cahoon, of Sloatsburg, N.Y., has started every game over the past two seasons for the Golden Flyers. She delivered three goals and one assist for the Golden Flyers in 2019, including a game-winning penalty kick in a 1-0 win over Sage.
McCraith, of Clarence, N.Y., enjoyed a strong first season for the Golden Flyers in 2019 after contributing three goals. Among the noteworthy moments was a game-winning overtime tally in a 2-1 win over St. Lawrence in September. She also helped spearhead a defensive unit that yielded a 0.79 goals-against average with seven shutouts.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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