FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. - A total of 13 Great Northeast Athletic Conference student-athletes have garnered 2019 US Soccer Coaches Association All-Region accolades, as announced by the organization on Monday. Eight were recognized on the women's side, while five from GNAC men's teams earned the prestigious honor.
WOMEN
First Team
JWU - Olivia Cairrao
SJC - McKenzie Murphy
Second Team
JWU - Jordan Restivo
SJC - Adia Grogan
SJC - Jade Jordan
Third Team
EMM - Natalie Dash
EMM - Kaylin Deschenes
JWU - Cat Nolan
From Johnson & Wales University, junior midfielder Olivia Cairrao was a First-Team All-New England selection, sophomore forward Jordan Restivo picked up Second-Team All-Region honors and senior Cat Nolan was named Third-Team All-New England. The three selections are the most in program history.
A native of Bristol, RI, Cairrao continues to make history. She is the first Wildcat to earn First-Team All-Region honors and the first to collect three awards. She was a third-team selection in 2018 after a second-team nod in 2017. The GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and GNAC Tournament MVP, Cairrao finished the year ranked 18th in the NCAA for goals (20) and points (47). She rates third in school history with 52 goals and second at 119 points.
It's the first regional honor for Restivo who also named First-Team All-GNAC for the first time. Also among the national leaders in goals, assists and points, the Utica, NY, native registered 35 points from 13 goals and nine assists. She produced three-straight game-winning goals and was named GNAC Player of the Week on October 7.
After missing a good portion of last season, Nolan returned for her best year as a Wildcat and her first All-Region award. The Center Moriches, NY, native produced career-highs of eight goals and nine assists on her way to First-Team All-GNAC. The nine assists tied Restivo for the GNAC lead and were 47th in the NCAA. Nolan earned GNAC Player of the Week on October 21 after producing seven points in a pair of conference victories.
From Saint Joseph's College of Maine, junior midfielder McKenzie Murphy (West Baldwin, Maine) has earned First Team All-New England honors while sophomore goalkeeper Adia Grogan (Kennebunk, Maine) and senior midfielder Jade Jordan (Baldwin, Maine) have claimed Second Team All-New England accolades. All three players have collected All-New England honors for the first time in their career.
Murphy, a 2019 First Team All-GNAC honoree, paced the Royal Blue in goals (10), assists (6), points (26), shots (66), and shots on goal (36) during her junior campaign. In three NCAA seasons, Murphy has netted 17 goals and 11 assists for 45 points in 61 contests.
Grogan, the 2019 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection, receives Second Team All-New England honors after notching a 13-4-3 record with three shutouts and a 0.88 goals against average in 20 starts this fall. The second-year starter yielded 18 goals with 117 saves in 1,833 minutes for an .867 save percentage and led the GNAC in minutes, goals against average and save percentage in 2019.
Grogan also played an important role for the Monks' offensive attack as the sophomore netminder was asked to take most the team's set pieces from the midfield area this season. As a result, the strong-legged keeper scored a goal and added a pair of assists for four total points with 16 shots, including seven on frame, this fall.
Jordan, a three-time All-Conference selection, earns Second Team All-New England honors after starting all 20 games with a pair of assists during her senior season. An athletic and heady midfielder, the second-year team captain was a key player for the Monks in the heart of the pitch during her four years and capped her career having played in 78 games with a goal and two assists.
Emmanuel College seniors Natalie Dash (East Hampton, Conn.) and Kaylin Deschenes(Lynn, Mass.) also earned Third Team All-New England accolades. It marks just the second time in program history that two Saints have landed on the All-Region during the same season, with the other occurring during the 2009 campaign.
Dash earns All-Region honors after earning GNAC First Team All-Conference honors for the second straight year after capping her career with a 21 point campaign on nine goals and three assists. Her nine goals ranked seventh in the GNAC while 21 point effort ranked tied for 11th. The Connecticut native scored four game-winning goals to rank second in the GNAC despite missing two weeks (four games) in the middle of the year due to injury.
Deschenes becomes just the second player in program history to earn back-to-back All-Region honors after already making history in the GNAC when she became the first player in the GNAC to earn back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors after finishing her career strong with EC. The senior played in and started 18 games for Emmanuel and helped the Saints post a 1.03 goals against average in games she was healthy including four shutouts. She added 11 points on four goals and three assists on the GNAC First Team.
The trio was instrumental in guiding JWU to its first GNAC Championship since 2005. The Wildcats posted a 16-7 record before falling to #5 MIT in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Chris Flint will have to replace four seniors, including Nolan.
MEN
First Team
JWU - Olivia Cairrao
SJC - Noah Robinson
Second Team
SJC - Jackson Taylor
Third Team
AMC - Salah Oumorou
NOR - Amerle Nemeye
SJC - David Walbridge
From Saint Joe's of Maine, senior defender Noah Robinson (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) has claimed First Team All-New England honors, senior midfielder Jackson Taylor (Gorham, Maine) is a Second Team All-New England honoree, and junior goalkeeper David Walbridge (Hampden, Mass.) is listed on the All-New England Third Team.
Robinson, the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honoree, earns the first All-Region award of his career after scoring eight goals with an assist for 17 total points during his senior season. He led the Monks in goals and ranked second in points and helped St. Joe's post the third-lowest goals-against average (0.503) in NCAA DIII Men's Soccer this fall. For his career, Robinson scored 23 goals with six game-winners and eight assists for 54 total points in 80 games.
Taylor, a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, also collects the first All-Region accolade of his career after netting two goals eight a team-high eight assists for 12 total points this fall. One of the Monks best – yet unheralded – players during the program's most successful four-year span, Taylor tallied six goals with 22 assists for 34 total points over 82 career contests.
Walbridge takes home Third Team All-New England honors after posting impressive numbers in his first year as a starter. Facing the unenviable task of replacing two-time All-American Blake Mullen '19, Walbridge proceeded to claim GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors after posting a 15-2-3 record with seven shutouts and a 0.46 goals against average. In 1,758 minutes in goal, the junior keeper allowed nine goals with 43 saves for an .827 save percentage. He finished the season ranked third in the country in goals against average, eighth in shutouts, and 34th in save percentage.
Albertus Magnus College junior striker Salah Oumorou (West Haven, Conn.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Offensive Player of the Year and made the All-Conference First Team en route to earning Third-Team All-Region honors. Oumorou earned the second major award and All-Conference First Team nod of his career, as he also accomplished both feats in 2017 as the GNAC Rookie of the Year. The West Haven, Conn., native leads the conference and is top-five nationally in points (48) and goals (21). Oumorou finished the season one goal and two points shy of tying the Falcons' single-season program record in both categories.
Norwich University sophomore Amerle Nemeye (Burlington, Vt.) was a Third Team choice after he earned his second GNAC All-Conference recognition this past season. Nemeye caught fire in the second half of the season, scoring 10 goals and adding six assists for 26 points. He ranked fifth in the GNAC with seven goals and five assists for 19 points in conference games. He earned GNAC Player of the Week honors once.
Information Provided by various GNAC Athletics Communications Offices.