WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - For a third time in program history, Monmouth University placed five players on the Women's Soccer All-Northeast Conference First-Team, as announced by league officials on the eve of the 2009 NEC Tournament. Junior Ali Kliment's recognition as the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, highlighted Monmouth's picks, while senior Andrea Lopez, juniors Mary Wilks and Lia Fierro and sophomore Courtney Snyder also earned first-team nods.
Monmouth, the No. 2 seed in this weekend's postseason, previously had five players make the all-conference first team in 1995 and 1999, while the 1996 and 1997 editions had four players chosen.
"We have had a successful season, and for that to happen you need to not only have a solid team, but standout individual play as well," stated head coach Krissy Turner. "I think the players that were selected would agree it was a team effort that allowed them to be recognized as individuals."
Kliment, who set a career-highs in both goals (four) and points (10) this season, captained a Monmouth backline that registered 12 shutouts over the course of the regular season, seven of which came against league opponents. The Hawks allowed just 10 goals on the season, only three of them being surrendered to NEC opponents. Monmouth's goals against average (0.54) is also the best in the league and ranks 12th on the Division I national poll. Furthermore, MU is tied for 8th in the nation in shutout percentage (.667). The team captain's successes extend to the classroom, too, as she was recently named a member of the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 First Team.
"Ali is the organizer and voice of our back line," said Turner. "She has done a great job all year of winning balls in the air and minimizing the other teams' chances."
Lopez, the 2006 NEC Rookie and Player of the Year, has shown consistent leadership throughout her four years as a Hawk combining for 30 career goals to lead active players, which also helps her place seventh on MU's all-time scoring list with 84 points. Lopez ranks second on the squad with 17 points behind six goals (three game-winners) and five assists.
"Andrea has had a solid senior campaign," added Turner. "For the past four years she has been a dynamic player for us, and this year has been no different."
Wilks, who leads the squad with 11 goals (tied for first in NEC) and 27 points, good for third in the league, has scored six in the team's last three games of the regular season. Wilks is also tied for the NEC's top spot with five game-winning tallies on the season.
Turner added, "Mary has had a terrific junior year. She continues to get better every day in training, through hard work and her willingness to listen. Her ability to score goals has been one of the many reasons for our success."
MU's goalkeeping stalwart owns two top statistics in the league for shutouts (12) and goals against average (0.54) and ranks second in save percentage with .841. Fierro, who has made 53 saves on the year, also ranks 16th in the nation for goals against average (.542), which ranks 12th in Division I in team goals against average. The Hawks are also in a share of 8th place in the country with a .667 shutout percentage. Fierro, who has posted a career record of 37-13-6 so far in her tenure, has 27 career blankings between the pipes for the Hawks.
"Lia has gained a lot of experience the previous two years, which has enabled her to have a strong junior campaign," stated Turner. "Along with the team in front of her, she was instrumental in the strong showing we had during the regular season on defense."
Snyder makes her first appearance on an all-conference list, as the second-year player topped the squad with six assists, to help pace the Hawks' offense that ranked second in the league in points, goals and assists. Snyder, who is tied for the third highest point total on the team, notched a pair of goals this year as well.
"Courtney has been one of our most improved players this season," said Turner. "She has done a great job of distributing the ball in the midfield and making the players around her better, which is the sign of a good player."
Central Connecticut State garnered two of the four major Northeast Conference women's soccer postseason awards with Leah Blayney slated as NEC Player of the Year and Mick D'Arcy voted NEC Coach of the Year by his peers. Quinnipiac's Jillian Strassner.
The awards were presented at a banquet on the eve of the 2009 NEC Women's Soccer Tournament, set to commence on Friday, Nov. 6 hosted by Central Connecticut State University on the CCSU Soccer Field on campus in New Britain, Conn.
The championship match is slated for Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 p.m. The winner of the NEC championship will receive the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. First round NCAA action begins on Friday, Nov. 13 at campus sites.
The Monmouth women's soccer team, making its 13th overall NEC Tournament appearance, returns to action on Friday afternoon, when the Hawks face No. 3 seed Quinnipiac at 1:30 p.m., in the NEC Tournament's second semifinal. All of the conference's postseason action can be seen live, via VideoStream here.
