West Babylon, N.Y. – The East Coast Conference announced its Women's Soccer All-Conference teams on Thursday afternoon with Ally Boots (Yorba Linda, Calif.) of Mercy, Kristen Breihof (Levittown, N.Y.) and Hillevi Eklow (Väröbacka, Sweden) of LIU Post, and Dana Poetzsch (Hicksville, N.Y.) of Molloy earning the league's top awards. Boots earned the Offensive Player of the Year honor, Breihof and Eklow were named the Defensive Player and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively, and Poetzsch was selected as the Rookie of the Year. LIU Post head coach, Mark Dawson rounds out the league's top honors as the Coach of the Year.
Boots earns her second straight All-Conference major award after winning the Rookie of the Year honor as a defender a season ago. Boots shined in her transition to the offensive side of the field, scoring 15 goals and dishing off three assists for 33 points on the season. Her goal and point totals were both good for second in the ECC. Boots' offensive output put her name among the national leaders, ranking in the top 25 in Division II with her goal (15th) and point totals (21st), as well as with 1.94 points per game (24th), 0.88 goals per game (17th), and seven game-winning goals (6th).
Breihof is named the top defender in the league as the anchor of the league's stingiest defense. With Breihof locking down the opponents' top scorer, the Pioneers have allowed an ECC-low nine goals on the season to also rank 14th in Division II with a 0.52 goals against average. In addition to her defensive prowess, Breihof ranks third in the conference with six assists on the season.
Eklow takes home the Goalkeeper of the Year honor after playing every minute in net during the Pioneers' 14-2-1 regular season. She made 64 saves in net to compile an ECC-leading .877 save percentage and 0.52 goals against average. Her numbers were among the best in the country as well, ranking 19th in goals against average and 13th in save percentage.
Poetzsch was selected as the league's top rookie after leading the league in scoring during the regular season. The forward tallied an ECC-high 16 goals and 34 points on the year. Like Boots, Poetzsch is also among the national leaders in numerous offensive categories. She ranks 10th in goals scored and 16th in points, while also coming in at No. 19 in points per game (2.0) and No. 11 in goals per game (0.94).
Dawson has been selected as the ECC Coach of the Year by his peers for the fourth time in his career at LIU Post and sixth time overall. Dawson led the Pioneers to a 14-2-1 record and a share of the ECC Regular Season Championship with a 7-1-0 mark in conference play. LIU Post also spent the entire season in the United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 poll, rising as high as No. 5 in the country.
2017 ECC Women's Soccer All-Conference
First Team
F - Ally Boots, So., Mercy
F - Julia Duffy, So., LIU Post
F - Dana Poetzsch, Fr., Molloy
M - Gabrielle Clark, So., LIU Post
M - Alice Schonfeldt, Jr., LIU Post
M - Heidi Serna, Sr., Mercy
M - Ariana Weingrad, Sr., Bridgeport
B - Kristen Breihof, Sr., LIU Post
B - Samantha Gordon, Fr., LIU Post
B - Karolina Vieira, Jr., Bridgeport
GK - Hillevi Eklow, Jr., LIU Post
Second Team
F - Andrea Huntzinger, Jr., LIU Post
F - Casey Luongo, Fr., NYIT
F - Haley Noble, Jr., Mercy
M - Jessica Brandt, So., Mercy
M - Ileen Mejia, Jr., Mercy
M - Sarah McGarry, Sr., LIU Post
M - Dina Simonian, Sr., NYIT
B - Alyssa Iannuzi, Sr., Mercy
B - Felicia LaPera, Sr., Molloy
B - Trista Seara, So., Mercy
GK - Jackie Carty, Fr., Molloy
Third Team
F - Jamie Boyar, So., Daemen
F - Victoria DiMarco, So., St. Thomas Aquinas
F - Erin Vernillo, Sr., Queens
M - Natalia Elizarraras, So., Mercy
M - Guro Eriksen, So., Queens
M - Katlyn Merino, Sr., Molloy
M - Amanda Milazzo, Jr., Molloy
B - Rebecca Conway, Jr., Mercy
B - Taylor Fletcher, Sr., Roberts Wesleyan
B - Monique Green, Jr., Daemen
GK - Melissa Torres, Fr., Mercy
Offensive Player of the Year: Ally Boots, So., F, Mercy
Defensive Player of the Year: Kristen Breihof, Sr., B, LIU Post
Goalkeeper of the Year: Hillevi Eklow, Jr., GK, LIU Post
Rookie of the Year: Dana Poetzsch, Fr., F, Molloy
Coach of the Year: Mark Dawson, LIU Post
