LYONS NAMED CACC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYER OF THE YEAR
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Nov. 1, 2010) - Georgian Court University junior forward Kelly Lyons has been chosen the 2010 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women’s Soccer Player of the Year. Carly DiGiovanni of Chestnut Hill College was named Rookie of the Year, while Wilmington University’s Josh Ruggiero was selected Coach of the Year. Nyack College was given the annual Team Sportsmanship Award. The All-Conference team was voted upon by the 13 CACC head coaches.
Lyons, a 5-7 junior forward from Jackson, N.J., is a three-time first team All-CACC selection and currently leads the conference with 17 goals and 35 points. She ranks fourth and eighth in the nation in the same categories. Lyons netted four goals in a game for the third time in her career last week against Nyack to earn Player of the Week honors on Oct. 25. Lyons is a two-time Daktronics first team All-Region pick and was a 2009 Daktronics third team All-American. Lyons is GCU’s all-time leading scorer in the Division II era with 132 points and 60 goals in 65 career games and has scored 17 of GCU’s 29 goals this season. Lyons was the 2008 CACC Rookie of the Year.
DiGiovanni, a 5-8 freshman midfielder from Seaville, N.J., was named to the All-CACC first team as a midfielder in addition to claiming Rookie of the Year accolades. She ranks second on the team with four goals and four assists for 12 points. Her four assists are tied for 10th in the CACC. DiGiovanni helped the Griffins attain a regional ranking for the first time in program history earlier this season. CHC will serve as the No. 2 seed in the upcoming CACC Tournament after going 10-1-1 in conference play and 13-3-2 overall.
Under Ruggiero’s guidance, Wilmington became the first CACC team to go through the conference schedule unbeaten and untied since Holy Family went 11-0 in 2007. The Wildcats went 12-0 in conference play this season and is 14-4 overall after going 9-7-2 in 2009. Wilmington will host Felician College in the opening round of the CACC Tournament on Tuesday. Five Wildcats earned All-CACC accolades this season, including three on the first team.
The complete 2010 All-CACC Women’s Soccer team is listed below. Wilmington and Chestnut Hill both have five selections, while Georgian Court and Holy Family each had three players picked. Repeat first team selections include Lyons and GCU teammate Denisha Thomas, Wilmington’s Amanda Davis and Alli Williams, Chestnut Hill’s Lauren Riiff and Lauren Brown and Holy Family’s Lindsay Fisher.
FIRST TEAM | |||
GK Jessica Veazey | Chestnut Hill | So. | Middletown, DE |
D Lauren Brown | Chestnut Hill | Jr. | Dover, DE |
D Denisha Thomas | Georgian Court | So. | Trinidad & Tobago |
D Alli Williams | Wilmington | Jr. | Newark, DE |
D Nikki D'Orsaneo | Caldwell | Jr. | Bowie, MD |
M Amanda Davis | Wilmington | Sr. | Middletown, DE |
M Lindsay Fisher | Holy Family | Jr. | Oakford, PA |
M Carly DiGiovanni | Chestnut Hill | Fr. | Seaville, NJ |
F Kelly Lyons | Georgian Court | Jr. | Jackson, NJ |
F Lauren Riiff | Chestnut Hill | Jr. | Clementon, NJ |
F Megan Tole | Holy Family | So. | Philadelphia, PA |
F Brittany Rodes | Wilmington | So. | Baltimore, MD |
SECOND TEAM | |||
GK Shealyn Sullivan | Georgian Court | Jr. | Buffalo, NY |
D Melissa Benson | Holy Family | So. | Rockledge, PA |
D Amanda Botbyl | Chestnut Hill | So. | Mays Landing, NJ |
D Danielle Niccoli | Wilmington | Sr. | Sparrows Point, MD |
M Alysia Arcona | Felician | Fr. | Hackettstown, NJ |
M Janine Cascio | Philadelphia | Fr. | Kings Park, NY |
M Maggie Porter | Dominican | Sr. | Neptune, NJ |
M Molly Taylor | Wilmington | So. | Forest Hill, MD |
F Olivia Antonopoulos | Dominian | Fr. | Baldwin, NY |
F Christine Rutherford | Bloomfield | Jr. | N. Arlington, NJ |
F Alisha Smith | Nyack | Sr. | Irvine, CA |
Honorable Mention: Kory Webster, D, Wilmington; Christy Degelman, Fr., D, Nyack; Brittney Brodniak, Sr., D, Felician; Sarah Redka, Sr., M, Philadelphia
Player of the Year: Kelly Lyons, Jr., F, Georgian Court
Rookie of the Year: Carly DiGiovanni, Fr., M, Chestnut Hill
Coach of the Year: Josh Ruggiero, Wilmington
Team Sportsmanship Award: Nyack College