Central Islip, N.Y. – For the second straight year, four of the five East Coast Conference women's soccer All-Conference major awards have been awarded to student-athletes from the University of Bridgeport. Nicola Worthington (Chorley, England) and Jennifer Wendelius (Lidingo, Sweden) have repeated as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, while newcomer, Idoia Agirre (Legazpi, Spain) has earned the Offensive Player of the Year honor. Bridgeport head coach, Magnus Nilerud, was also named the Coach of the Year by his peers for the second year in a row. Mercy's Ally Boots (Yorba Linda, Calif.) rounds out the conference's major award winners as the Rookie of the Year.
Agirre, who transferred to Bridgeport after an Division II All-America performance in 2015, continued her standout play in her first season in Connecticut. She finished the regular season with an ECC-high 23 goals and 50 points and the three-time ECC Offensive Player of the Week also tallied 15 goals and 32 points during conference play, both of which led the conference. Agirre found the back of the net in each of Bridgeport's eight ECC games on the season and tallied multiple goals on five different occasions, including scoring four in a single-game twice. Her name could be found among the national leader board as well, ranking second in goals scored, fourth in total points, and third in points per game (2.94) and game winning goals (7) in all of Division II.
Worthington earns the ECC Defensive Player of the Year honor for the second year in a row. She anchored the Bridgeport defense that shut out six of eight conference opponents and allowed only four goals in conference play. She was no slouch on the offensive end either, scoring four goals and dishing off 10 assists on the season.
Wendelius was another key part of the Purple Knights' defense. She finished with a 10-2-0 mark in the regular season and was near the top of the ECC leader board in all statistical categories. She ranked second in the ECC with a 0.70 goals against average and topped the conference with an .868 save percentage. Her save percentage was among the national leaders, as well, coming in at No. 23.
Boots earns the Rookie of the Year honor after starting all 17 games for the Mavericks in her debut season. The back was a huge part of a defense that allowed a 1.05 goal against average, the fourth lowest mark in the ECC, despite finishing last in the conference in saves. Boots also contributed one goal on the season.
Nilerud was named the Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and sixth time in his career after guiding Bridgeport to an unbeaten run through ECC play. The Purple Knights finished the season with a 14-3-0 record and an unblemished 8-0-0 mark in ECC games. The unbeaten record was good for the fourth ECC Regular Season Championship in the past five seasons for Nilerud and the Purple Knights. Bridgeport also spent the entire season in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Division II Top 25 poll, rising as high as No. 3.
2016 ECC Women's Soccer All-Conference
First Team
F - Idoia Agirre, Gr., Bridgeport
F - Shannon Colligan, Sr., Bridgeport
F - Haley Noble, So., Mercy
M - Bella Mitrevski, Sr., Roberts Wesleyan
M - Amanda Moura, Gr., Bridgeport
M - Hanne Neby, Sr., Bridgeport
M - Nicola Worthington, Sr., Bridgeport
B - Kristin Brandman, Sr., LIU Post
B - Flo Gamby, Sr., Bridgeport
B - Lauren Mengel, Sr., Bridgeport
GK - Jennifer Wendelius, So., Bridgeport
Second Team
F - Andrea Huntzinger, So., LIU Post
F - Heidi Serna, Jr., Mercy
F - Danielle Valente, Sr., Molloy
M - Klara Berggren, Jr., LIU Post
M - Sarah McGarry, Sr., LIU Post
M - Ileen Mejia, So., Mercy
M - Ariana Weingrad, Jr., Bridgeport
B - Ally Boots, Fr., Mercy
B - Kristen Breihof, Jr., LIU Post
B - Julia Weidenmark, Sr., Bridgeport
GK - Hillevi Eklow, So., LIU Post
Third Team
F - Dominique Banks, Fr., Mercy
F - Katlyn Merino, So., Molloy
F - Erin Vernillo, Jr., Queens
M - Jessia Brandt, Fr., Mercy
M - Kristen Cummings, Jr., Molloy
M - Natalia Elizarras, Fr., Mercy
M - Alyssa Iannuzzi, Jr., Mercy
B - Rebecca Conway, So., Mercy
B - Taylor Fletcher, Jr., Roberts Wesleyan
B - Paige Sherlock, Fr., LIU Post
GK - Nicole Cranny, Jr., Queens
Offensive Player of the Year: Idoia Agirre, Gr., F, Bridgeport
Defensive Player of the Year: Nicola Worthington, Sr., M, Bridgeport
Goalkeeper of the Year: Jennifer Wendelius, So., Bridgeport
Rookie of the Year: Ally Boots, Fr., B, Mercy
Coach of the Year: Magnus Nilerud, Bridgeport
