Women's Soccer | 11/9/2021 1:57:24 PM
Empire 8 Champion Nazareth College garnered three individual honors, while league runner-up St. John Fisher earned two awards, as the Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Women’s Soccer All-Conference selections on Tuesday, Nov. 9. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches.
Senior defender Mallory Ott from Nazareth was named the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year, while first-year goalkeeper Annika Monfort earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors. Nazareth’s coaching staff, led by head coach Gail Mann, was named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year.
St. John Fisher senior forward Carli Kovarik was named the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Year, while teammate Emma Spelman garnered E8 Rookie of the Year accolades.
Ott and Monfort led a stout Nazareth defense that allowed just three goals in nine games against Empire 8 foes, while posting 10 shutouts overall in 19 games. Kovarik, the 2018 E8 Rookie of the Year, led all Empire 8 players in scoring, tallying 15 goals and 33 points, while Spelman was second in the league with seven assists to go along with four goals.
Mann led the Golden Flyers to their 11th Empire 8 Women’s Soccer Championship in 2021. Nazareth finished 7-1 in regular season league play, while the team out-scored Empire 8 opponents, 21-3. It is Mann and her staff’s second straight Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor and fourth overall.
The Golden Flyers had a league-high five first team members, while two from Alfred and a pair from St. John Fisher were honored in addition to one Russell Sage and one Utica honoree. Overall, eight Nazareth student-athletes earned All-E8 honors, while St. John Fisher had seven. Nazareth’s Caleigh Cahoon and Russell Sage’s Natalie Ricci earned All-Empire 8 first team accolades for the third straight season, while Lauren Begy, Ott and Kristen Prohaska garnered their second straight first team honor. Kovarik is now a four-time All-E8 selection, earning first honors and second team accolades two times apiece.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 E8 Women's Soccer Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference 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.
2021 Empire 8 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Carli Kovarik, Sr., F, St. John Fisher
Defensive Player of the Year: Mallory Ott, Sr., D, Nazareth
Goalkeeper of the Year: Annika Monfort, Fr., GK, Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Emma Spelman, Fr., F, St. John Fisher
Coaching Staff of the Year: Nazareth, led by Head Coach Gail Mann
Empire 8 First Team
Kristen Prohaska, Gr., F, Nazareth
Natalie Ricci, Sr., F, Russell Sage
Carli Kovarik, Sr., F, St. John Fisher
Ro Hernandez, Sr., F, Utica
Abigail Austin, Sr., M, Alfred
Lauren Begy, Gr., M, Nazareth
Caleigh Cahoon, Gr., M, Nazareth
Katline Cartwright, Sr., D, Alfred
Mallory Ott., Sr., D, Nazareth
Jennifer Kirker, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Annika Monfort, Fr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team
Julia Collado, Sr., F, Hartwick
Sarah Potocki, Jr., F, Houghton
Emma Spelman, Fr., F, St. John Fisher
Madi McGuire, So., M, Hartwick
Moriah Steffen, Jr., M, Houghton
Sydney Moss, Sr., M, Nazareth
Lydia Malkiewicz, Gr., M, Russell Sage
Madison Knowles, Jr., D, Nazareth
Samantha Schmidt, Gr., D, Russell Sage
Jessica Aldred, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Sara Staup, Jr., GK, Hartwick
Empire 8 Third Team
Kayla Silverstein, Fr., F, Alfred
Gianna Cacciola, So., F, Hartwick
Sydney Cook, Gr., F, Utica
Tori Cruz, So., M, St. John Fisher
Kayla Rhude, So., M, St. John Fisher
Angela Gonzalez, Sr., M, Russell Sage
Jacinta Kaminski, Gr., M, Utica
Jacey Palmgreen, So., D, Alfred
Nicole Conway, Jr., D, Hartwick
Renee Vito, Sr., D, Keuka
Grace Palczewski, Fr., D, Nazareth
Nevaeh Winston, Fr., GK, Elmira
Halle Tickell, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Claire Squicciarini, Fr., D, Alfred
Cassidy Buchman, Sr., GK, Elmira
Luisa Andrade, Sr, M/F, Hartwick
Reegan Mitchell, Sr., M, Houghton
Renee Vito, Sr., D, Keuka
Mia Longo, Sr., M, Nazareth
Mickaela Buzzy, Sr., GK, Russell Sage
Lakin Woodward, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Erin Stalder, Jr., M, Utica
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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