FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- Christopher Newport senior Riley Cook was named the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and the Captains boasted a conference-high eight All-League selections, announced by the conference office Wednesday afternoon. 

Cook repeats as the Conference Offensive Player of the Year, continuing to add to her impressive mantel of individual accolades while also earning first team All-Conference honors in the midfield. The unbeaten and fifth-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team collected a league-best five first team All-Conference certificates while three more Captains were named to the second team. 

Cook was joined on the first team by senior Abby Harrigan (MF), junior Jill McDonald (D), sophomore Emma Ricci (MF), and senior Sarah Smith (F). Earning second team accolades were senior Haley Eiser (GK), junior Sarah Rhiel (D), and senior Emily Talotta (MF). The eight total selections matches the 2019 total and is the third highest total in program history. 

Earning her fourth straight first team All-Conference designation, Riley Cook adds to her illustrious career with another exceptional regular season for the Captains. Heading into the postseason, Cook is the active leader in all of NCAA women's soccer (Division I, II, and III), in career goals scored with 83, and ranks second in career points with 183. She becomes the first former Rookie of the Year to go on to win Player of the Year plaudits twice in her career and is the eighth player in league history to earn multiple Player of the Year selections. 

This season, Cook shattered the conference record with four more Conference Player of the Week picks, earning 14 in her career. She leads the league in points, goals, shots, and shots on-goal, while pacing one of the nation's top attacks. Cook is currently riding an eight-game goal scored streak, the second longest in her career, and has five game-winning goals on the year. With two hat tricks this season, she now has seven in her career which is more than double the previous record of three. 

In total, Cook has scored 38 points, ranking 18th nationally, with 17 goals, which ranks 12th in the country. She has added four assists to help Christopher Newport rank 18th nationally with 3.33 goals per game as a team. Over the course of her career, Cook has posted 1.06 goals per game, ranking first in program history. 

The other four first team All-Conference picks for the Captains each earned their first career designation in Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference play. In the midfield, senior Abby Harrigan collects her first certificate after a tremendous career playing field general for the Captains. A consistent presence in the lineup throughout her career, Harrigan has started in 52 of her 55 career games played. She has scored 20 career points on six goals and eight assists, including a pair of game-winning goals this year. The dangerous Captains' offense often runs through Harrigan in the midfield, and she also serves as a formidable defender against opposing attackers. 

Also in the midfield, sophomore Emma Ricci exploded onto the scene for the Captains in her first official season. After playing in the exhibition campaign last spring, Ricci's first official collegiate season ended with the rookie earning first team All-Conference honors. She ranks third on the team in scoring with 14 points while ranking second in assists with six. She has scored four goals while coming off the bench this season, playing in 14 total games. 

On the back line, junior Jill McDonald also collected her first career distinction as an All-Conference player. The center back has anchored a defensive unit that has allowed just six goals this season for a 0.39 goals-against average. Currently on pace for a record-breaking campaign, McDonald and the rest of the CNU defense ranks 15th nationally in goals-against average while holding opponents to just 6.1 shots per game. 

Finally, rounding out the five first team selections is senior transfer Sarah Smith. In her first year with the Captains, the forward provided another dynamic scorer at the top of the dangerous attack with 15 points on six goals and three assists. She recorded three game-winning goals for the nationally-ranked Captains and logged 49 total shots, ranking second on the team in total attempts. 

Three more Captains garnered second team All-C2C recognition as Emily Talotta and Haley Eiser repeated as All-League players while Sarah Rhiel collected her first nod. Talotta was a first team pick in 2019 and continues to baffle opposing defenders with her strong footwork, especially close to the goal line. The veteran outside midfielder leads the league in assists, with seven, and continues to climb the all-time leaders at Christopher Newport. She currently ranks seventh in program history in just two seasons wearing the Royal Blue and Silver. 

Also repeating as an All-Conference player was goalkeeper Haley Eiser, earning her third career pick. The former All-Region netminder has shattered nearly every goalkeeper record in program history and continues to add to her impressive resume this season. In 14 starts as a fifth-year senior, Eiser ranks ninth nationally in save percentage, 11th in goals-against average, and amongst the top-40 in total shutouts. She leads the league in all three categories and is on pace to break the conference record in career goals-against average (0.54). 

Rounding out the octet of Christopher Newport All-Conference selections is Rhiel, who has put together a tremendous season as an outside back for the Captains. Dangerous on both ends of the field, Rhiel has started all 15 games and ranks third on the team in minutes played. With McDonald and the rest of the Captains defense, Rhiel has made life difficult on opposing offenses all season long. CNU has not allowed more than a single goal in a game all season and, dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign, have allowed more than one in just two of 37 games played. 

The eight All-Conference picks will take the field with the rest of the Christopher Newport women's soccer team on Friday, November 5 at 11:00 am in the C2C Tournament Semifinals. The Captains will look to extend the program record 15-match unbeaten streak to start the season as they take on either #4-seed Salisbury or #5-seed Finlandia. 

2021 C2C All-Conference Women's Soccer Awards

2021 C2C Offensive Player of the Year: Riley Cook - Christopher Newport
2021 C2C Defensive Player of the Year: Allison Nork - Mary Washington
2021 C2C Rookie of the Year: Payton Cichowski - UC Santa Cruz
2021 C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Tayah Rendina - Salisbury
2021 C2C Coaching Staff of the Year: UC Santa Cruz - Lauren Nadler

2021 All-C2C Women's Soccer First Team

NAME	YR.	POS.	TEAM	HOMETOWN/HS	PREVIOUS ALL-C2C HONORS
Sarah Smith	Sr.	For	Christopher Newport	Norfolk, Va.
Payton Cichowski	Fr.	For	UC Santa Cruz	Sherman Oaks, Calif.
Autumn Dougherty	Jr.	For	Salisbury	Bel Air, Md.	1st in '19
Emma Ricci	So.	For	Christopher Newport	Winchester, Va.
Riley Cook	Sr.	Mid	Christopher Newport	Mechanicsville, Va.	1st & POY in '19, 1st in '18, 1st & ROY in '17
Ally Goetz	Sr.	Mid	Salisbury	Hagerstown, Md.	1st in '19, 2nd in '18
Katie Herm	Jr.	Mid	UC Santa Cruz	Redondo Beach, Calif.
Katherine Brady	Sr.	Mid	Mary Washington	Charlottesville, Va.
Abby Harrigan	Sr.	Mid	Christopher Newport	Stafford, Va.
Olivia Severin	Sr.	Def	Mary Washington	Ashburn, Va.	2nd in '19, 1st in '18
Jill McDonald	Jr.	Def	Christopher Newport	Fredericksburg, Va.
Shelby De Jong	Jr.	Def	Mary Washington	Chesapeake, Va.
Allison Nork	Sr.	GK	Mary Washington	Harrisburg, Pa.

2021 All-C2C Women's Soccer Second Team

NAME	YR.	POS.	TEAM	HOMETOWN/HS	PREVIOUS ALL-C2C HONORS
Amanda Scott	Fr.	For	UC Santa Cruz	Lakewood, Calif.
Emily Talotta	Sr.	For	Christopher Newport	Arlington, Va.	1st in '19
Ainsley Smith	So.	For	UC Santa Cruz	Somerset, Calif.
Fiona Nielsen	Sr.	Mid	UC Santa Cruz	Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Gracie Williams	Sr.	Mid	Mary Washington	Charlottesville, Va.
Grace Florence	Fr.	Mid	Pratt	Worthington, Ohio
Angela Bradbury	So.	Def	UC Santa Cruz	Los Angeles, Calif.
Sarah Rhiel	Jr.	Def	Christopher Newport	Suffolk, Va.
Lauren Spelman	So.	Def	Salisbury	Monrovia, Md.
Abby McCollam	So.	Def	UC Santa Cruz	Huntington Beach, Calif.
Alexia Santos	So.	Def	UC Santa Cruz	Chula Vista, Calif.
Haley Eiser	Sr.	GK	Christopher Newport	Richmond, Va.	2nd in '19, 1st in '18
Emma Hill	Sr.	GK	Salisbury	Centreville, Md.	1st in '19