West Babylon, N.Y. – After winning the league's Regular Season Championship, the University of Bridgeport nearly swept the East Coast Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference major awards announced on Friday morning.
Maegen Doyle (Harwich, England) won her second straight Offensive Player of the Year award while fellow Purple Knights Rebekka Skaasheim (Balestrand, Norway) and Helen Klos (Erkelenz, Germany) were named the Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively. Bridgeport head coach Magnus Nilerud was also selected by his peers as the Coach of the Year.
Mercy's Melissa Torres (La Mirada, Calif.) rounds out the major award winners as the Goalkeeper of the Year.
Doyle didn't miss a beat a year after winning the Division II National Player of the Year Award. The senior forward sent home 16 goals and dished off eight assists for 40 points over 15 games. Her offensive output placed her on the Division II national leader board. Heading in to ECC Championship play, Doyle's goal and point totals ranked 14th in the nation. In addition, her goals per game (9th - 1.0) and points per game (7th - 2.5) marks ranked in the Division II top-10.
Skaasheim was a key cog in the Purple Knights' defense. The junior midfielder started 17 games and helped Bridgeport allowed only six goals for a 0.73 goals against average in eight ECC contests. She also contributed two goals and two assists on the season.
Torres was among the conference's leaders in nearly every goalkeeper statistic. She ranked second with a 0.64 goals against average, third with an .839 save percentage and tied for the conference lead with eight shutouts. Torres was even better during ECC play, leading the league with a 0.58 goals against average and a .862 save percentage.
Klos made an immediate impact for Bridgeport, making 16 starts out of 18 games played. She scored two goals and added one assist to finish with five points on the year. Like Skaasheim, Klos also contributed defensively from the midfield, helping the Purple Knights shutout four ECC opponents.
Nilerud takes home the Coach of the Year award for the fourth time in the past five seasons and the eighth time in his 21 season tenure. Under his leadership, Bridgeport won their fourth Regular Season Championship in the past five seasons and their ninth since 2006.
2019 ECC Women's Soccer All-Conference
First Team
F - Jamie Boyar, Sr., Daemen
F - Maegen Doyle, Sr., Bridgeport
F - Dana Poetzsch, Jr., Molloy
M - Fernanda Castro, So., Mercy
M - Natalia Elizarraras, Sr., Mercy
M - Helen Klos, Fr., Bridgeport
M - Rebekka Skaasheim, Jr., Bridgeport
B - Roosa Ariyo, Sr., Bridgeport
B - Sydney Cooper, So., Mercy
B - Trista Seara, Sr., Mercy
GK - Melissa Torres, Jr., Mercy
Second Team
F - Andrea Basilicato, Jr.,, Bridgeport
F - Kaitlyn Denning, Jr., Mercy
F - Casey Luongo, Jr., New York Tech
M - Lindsay Ciaramella, Sr., Daemen
M - Guro Eriksen, Sr., Queens
M - Israela Groves, Sr., Roberts Wesleyan
M - Maggie Thibault, So., New York Tech
B - Sabrina Bell, So., Molloy
B - Annie Bjork, So., Bridgeport
B - Kelly Gerdes, Gr., New York Tech
GK - Jackie Carty, Jr., Molloy
Third Team
F - Nara DaCosta, Sr., Bridgeport
F - Victoria Ramirez, Sr., Queens
F - Morgan Razzano, Fr., Roberts Wesleyan
M - Victoria DiMarco, Sr., St. Thomas Aquinas
M - Hannah Franco, So., New York Tech
M - Lauren Marinello, Jr., Molloy
M - Grace Stranahan, So., Daemen
B - Daria Catrogivanni, Gr., Molloy
B - Sam D'Agostino, Jr., Daemen
B - Marieke Kramer, Sr., Bridgeport
GK - Helena Dahlstrom, Fr., Bridgeport
Offensive Player of the Year: Maegen Doyle, Bridgeport
Defensive Player of the Year: Rebekka Skaasheim, Bridgeport
Goalkeeper of the Year: Melissa Torres, Mercy
Rookie of the Year: Helen Klos, Bridgeport
Coach of the Year: Magnus Nilerud, Bridgeport
