Women's Soccer | 4/19/2021 9:15:27 AM
The Empire 8 Conference announced its 2021 Spring Women’s Soccer All-Conference awards on Monday, April 19. The awards are voted on by the league's head coaches. Four Nazareth standouts garnered individual honors.
Senior midfielder Caleigh Cahoon of Empire 8 Regular Season Champion Nazareth College was named the Offensive Player of the Year, while senior Lauren Begy of the Golden Flyers was named the Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Gabrielle Pighetti of Nazareth was named Goalkeeper of the Year, while Nazareth’s coaching staff, led by head coach Gail Mann, was named the Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year. First-year forward Marissa Key of 2021 E8 Spring Women’s Soccer Tournament Champion Russell Sage College was named Rookie of the Year.
Cahoon led all Empire 8 student-athletes in scoring with 16 points on six goals and four assists in 2021. Begy was the leader of a stout Nazareth defense that allowed just four goals in nine games, while Pighetti recorded a miniscule 0.45 goals against average and five shutouts in goal. Key recorded a pair of assists in seven games for the Gators.
Mann led the Golden Flyers to an 8-0-1 record during the spring season, while the team out-scored its opponents, 33-4. It is Mann and her staff’s third Empire 8 Coaching Staff of the Year honor.
The Golden Flyers had a league-high six first team members, while a quartet of Russell Sage student-athletes were honored. St. John Fisher had one member on the first team. Overall, eight Nazareth student-athletes earned All-E8 honors, while St. John Fisher had seven.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 E8 Spring 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 Spring Women’s Soccer All-Conference Selections
Offensive Player of the Year: Caleigh Cahoon, Sr., M, Nazareth
Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Begy, Sr., D, Nazareth
Goalkeeper of the Year: Gabrielle Pighetti, Jr., GK, Nazareth
Rookie of the Year: Marissa Key, Fr., F, Russell Sage
Coaching of the Year: Nazareth, led by Head Coach Gail Mann
Empire 8 First Team
Kristen Prohaska, Sr., F, Nazareth
Hallie Klosterman, Jr., F, Russell Sage
Natalie Ricci, Jr., F, Russell Sage
Alexis Gossage, Jr., F, St. John Fisher
McKayla Hughes, So., M, Nazareth
Caleigh Cahoon, Sr., M, Nazareth
Angela Gonzalez, Jr., M, Russell Sage
Lauren Begy, Sr., D, Nazareth
Mallory Ott., Jr., D, Nazareth
Samantha Schmidt, Sr., D, Russell Sage
Gabrielle Pighetti, Jr., GK, Nazareth
Empire 8 Second Team
Carli Kovarik, Jr., F, St. John Fisher
Kealy DeForest, Sr., F, Houghton
Alexandra Skoda, Fr., F, Nazareth
Abigail Austin, Jr., M, Alfred
Lydia Malkiewicz, Sr., M, Russell Sage
Natalie Smith, Jr., M, St. John Fisher
Christina Van Allen, Fr., M, St. John Fisher
Shayla Scully, Fr., D, Nazareth
Chandler Stephany, Sr., D, St. John Fisher
Jessica Aldred, Jr., D, St. John Fisher
Lila Platt, Sr., GK, St. John Fisher
Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year
Jacey Palmgreen, Fr., D, Alfred
Kierstyn Gurney, Sr., M, Houghton
Lena D’Amico, Sr., M, Nazareth
Sara Kennerson, Fr., F, Russell Sage
Kerri Orbach, Sr., F, St. John Fisher
Kierra Caissey, Sr., M, Utica