NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the fourth consecutive season, the nationally-ranked Christopher Newport women's soccer team boasts an impressive haul of eight All-League selections as announced by the Coast-To-Coast Athletic Conference office on Wednesday morning. The No. 3 Captains earned three first team and five second team nods after a vote of the league's head coaches.
Following an undefeated regular season that saw Christopher Newport post an overall record of 14-0-2, head coach
Jamie Gunderson boasts a league-high eight total selections in 2022. Senior forward
Sarah Smith, sophomore midfielder
Ellie Cox, and senior defender
Jill McDonald each have been selected to the first team; second team honorees are junior forward
Emma Ricci, freshman midfielder
Kate Eissenberg, senior midfielder
Abby Harrigan, junior defender
Nyah Savage, and sophomore goalkeeper
Jaya Daniel.
Of the honored Captains, Harrigan is the only three-time selection after earning second team honors in 2018 and a first team pick in 2021. Smith, Ricci, and McDonald each pick up their second straight certificate after collecting first team All-C2C plaudits last season.
Ellie Cox has started 15 games this season and missed only one due to an injury before bouncing right back and playing the full 90 minutes in the next contest. She plays a pivotal role in the Captains midfield and defense, helping CNU frustrate opposing attacks all season long. Cox has been on the field for 1,247 minutes of a possible 1,350 (92.4%) and has played full time in ten games this year.
Also a key cog in the Captains' defense is McDonald, who was an All-American and the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Defender in 2021. She has followed up that campaign with an equally as dominant performance this season by starting all 16 games at center back and leading a back line that has allowed only six goals all season long. She has also added two goals and an assist, including one gamewinner, on the offensive end as a dangerous weapon for CNU on corner kicks.
With Cox and McDonald helping to lead the way, the Captains' defense ranks eighth nationally in goals-against average, 10th in save percentage, and 14th overall in shutout percentage.
Rounding out the first team All-C2C selections is
Sarah Smith, who has been one of the league's top offensive weapons in 2022. After earning All-American plaudits in her first season with the Captains last year, Smith burst out of the gates with 19 points on nine goals and one assist in the first 12 games of the season. She ranks second in the league in game-winning goals and, despite missing four games, still ranks in the top-five in the league in total goals scored.
Also dangerous on attack for CNU has been second team All-Conference pick
Emma Ricci. She has four goals and four assists with three gamewinners for 12 total points this season. Ricci has been deadly accurate, putting 16 of her 25 total shots on frame for a 64 percent accuracy rate. Ricci has caught fire of late, factoring into three of the Captains' last six goals heading into the postseason.
In the midfield, Harrigan has proven as reliable as ever for CNU in organizing the Captains' attack and helping shore up the stingy defense. She has played in 14 games with 12 starts and continues to serve as an on-field leader. Harrigan has taken 11 shots while putting five on-net.
Newcomer
Kate Eissenberg has stepped into a heavy workload during her first year, serving as a starting defender for the first 10 games before sliding up to the midfield for the last six when
Re Slater returned from injury. Eissenberg leads the team in minutes played while coming off for just over 30 minutes combined this season (97.8 percent of possible minutes).
The last defender to be honored is junior
Nyah Savage, who collects her first career All-Conference selection. The versatile asset has started all 16 games as a key member of the back line while also playing some on the outside as a midfielder. She has two goals and one assist while helping Christopher Newport register one of the top defenses in the nation with 11 shutouts this season.
Finally,
Jaya Daniel continues a most impressive run of success in goal for the Captains by becoming the tenth goalkeeper in program history to earn All-Conference honors. Christopher Newport has had an All-League goalkeeper in every season since 2001 for a remarkable streak of 20 consecutive seasons. The second-year star opened her career on a 14-game winning streak and has six solo shutouts this season while starting 14 games. Daniel has a 0.48 goals-against average, ranking 23rd nationally, and an 86.7 percent save percentage, ranking 31st nationally.
Powered by the eight All-Conference selections, Christopher Newport is ranked No. 3 in the nation and boasts the top seed in this week's conference tournament. The Captains will play next in the C2C Tournament Semifinals on Friday, November 4 at 4:00 p.m. when they will take on either #4 Salisbury or #5 Pratt.
2022 Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference All-Conference Awards: Women's Soccer
2022 C2C Offensive Player of the Year: Autumn Dougherty - Salisbury
2022 C2C Defensive Player of the Year: Angela Bradbury - UC Santa Cruz
2022 C2C Rookie of the Year: Kaitlyn Venzen - Mary Washington
2022 C2C Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Addie Budzinski - Finlandia
2022 C2C Coaching Staff of the Year: Lilia Dosalmas - UC Santa Cruz
2022 All-C2C Women's Soccer First Team
| NAME |
YR. |
POS. |
TEAM |
HOMETOWN |
| Amanda Krest |
Sr. |
F |
Mary Washington |
Ashburn, Va. |
| Autumn Dougherty |
Sr. |
F |
Salisbury |
Bel Air, Md. |
| Katherine Thomsen |
Fr. |
F |
Pratt |
Palo Alto, Calif. |
| Amanda Scott |
So. |
F |
UC Santa Cruz |
Lakewood, Calif. |
| Sarah Smith |
Sr. |
F |
Christopher Newport |
Norfolk, Va. |
| Ellie Cox |
So. |
M |
Christopher Newport |
Crozet, Va. |
| Katie Herm |
Sr. |
M |
UC Santa Cruz |
Redondo Beach, Calif. |
| Kyla Holt |
Sr. |
M |
Salisbury |
Westminster, Md. |
| Jill McDonald |
Sr. |
D |
Christopher Newport |
Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Angela Bradbury |
Jr. |
D |
UC Santa Cruz |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Kasey Lamb |
Sr. |
D |
Salisbury |
Westminster, Md. |
| Daisia Knowles |
Sr. |
D |
Finlandia |
Broomfield, Colo. |
| Alyssa Diaz-Tucker |
Sr. |
GK |
UC Santa Cruz |
San Diego, Calif. |
2022 All-C2C Women's Soccer Second Team
| NAME |
YR. |
POS. |
TEAM |
HOMETOWN/HS |
| Kaitlyn Venzen |
Fr. |
F |
Mary Washington |
Fredericksburg, Va. |
| Ashley Pantano |
Fr. |
F |
Salisbury |
Farmingdale, N.Y. |
| Emma Ricci |
Jr. |
F |
Christopher Newport |
Winchester, Va. |
| Addie Budzinski |
Sr. |
M |
Finlandia |
Cheboygan, Mich. |
| Eliza Franklin |
So. |
M |
Mary Washington |
Arlington, Va. |
| Lissette Carneiro |
Sr. |
M |
Salisbury |
Crofton, Md. |
| Kate Eissenberg |
Fr. |
M |
Christopher Newport |
Richmond, Va. |
| Hope Grzebien |
Sr. |
M |
Mary Washington |
Glenelg, Md. |
| Abby Harrigan |
Sr. |
M |
Christopher Newport |
Stafford, Va. |
| Mikaela O'Fallon |
Sr. |
D |
Mary Washington |
Harrisonburg, Va. |
| Lauren Spelman |
Jr. |
D |
Salisbury |
Monrovia, Md. |
| Nyah Savage |
Jr. |
D |
Christopher Newport |
Urbana, Md. |
| Jaya Daniel |
So. |
GK |
Christopher Newport |
Charlottesville, Va. |
