WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Two days after being named Third-Team All-Mid Atlantic Region and Mid-Atlantic Region All-Freshman by Soccer Buzz, Monmouth University freshman Andrea Lopez (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) was named a 2006 Freshman All-American. The 2006 Northeast Conference Player and Rookie of the Year, Lopez was added to the fourth-team all-freshman.

“It is an outstanding achievement for Andrea to be honored by Soccer Buzz as a freshman All American,” said head coach Krissy Turner. “Her hard work and success on the field allowed her to be recognized as one of the elite rookies in the nation.”

Lopez joined athletes from programs such as St. Louis, Portland, LSU, Boston College, UTEP, St. John's, Connecticut, West Virginia, Loyola Marymount, Indiana and Ohio State on the fourth-team.

Lopez, Monmouth's first NEC Player of the Year since Christie (Pearce) Rampone won the award in 1995 and 1996, posted a league-high 13 goals and ranked second with 10 assists, which both lead the Hawks. Her 36 points also led the conference. As a freshman, Lopez, scored the most goals and registered most points at Monmouth since 1998.

The forward spearheaded the Hawks' 14-4-2 overall record (a nine-win improvement over last season) and 7-1-1 conference mark. She also led the team with eight game-winning goals.

Monmouth, which reached as high as #11 in the SoccerBuzz Mid-Atlantic regional poll, the highest the program has climbed in school history, finished 2006 with an 8-0-0 mark at home on The Great Lawn.