Four Lasers Earn Field Hockey All-GNAC Honors

NEWTON, Mass. (11/8/16) -- Four members of the Lasell College field hockey team earned Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) postseason honors, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday.

Sophomores Cailin Flannery (Medford, N.J.) and Julia Franzik (Wallingford, Conn.), freshman Samantha Taylor (Hanover, Mass.), and junior Taylor Falco (Hazlet, N.J.) were all named to the All-Conference Second Team, while senior Courtney Braman (Gardner, Mass.) was the Lasers' representative on the All-Sportsmanship Team.

The honors come after Lasell finished the season with a 12-7 record, advancing to the GNAC semifinal for the first time in program history before falling to eventual champion St. Joseph's College of Maine by a 3-1 score.

Twice named the GNAC Player of the Week this season, Flannery was the Lasers' leading goal scorer for the second straight season, totaling the fourth-most points in the conference with 37 and a conference-leading 11 assists. Flannery finished with goals in three of her final four contests this season, and assisted on both goals in Lasell's playoff victory over Mount Ida.

Taylor finished her rookie season with 13 goals, tied for the team lead with Flannery. She scored goals in each of her first five games, twice posting multi-goal games and scoring the game-winning goal four times on the year. Her last clincher came off Flannery's assist with 1:30 remaining in the Lasers' first-ever GNAC playoff win on Oct. 29.

Franzik scored her 16 points in just five games, posting multi-point efforts in all of them. She scored the game-winning goal in Lasell's season-opening win over WPI, while posting the second two-goal game of her career on Oct. 4 against New England College.

Braman served as the Lasers' lone senior captain this season, finishing with four goals and three assists for 11 points. All three of Braman's assists came in a 7-1 win over Nichols on Sept. 13, while the forward drew Lasell even with her final collegiate goal in a key conference win against Mount Ida on Oct. 8.

First Team
F – Kaitlyn Moran, Anna Maria (Sr., Leicester, Mass.)
F – Kelsey Dumond, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Lewiston, Maine)
F – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Limerick, Maine)
F – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons (Jr., East Hampstead, N.H.)
M – Jacqueline Lapierre, Anna Maria (Jr., Worcester, Mass.)
M – Maddy Beaulieu, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Gardiner, Maine)
M – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Scarborough, Maine)
B – Arianna Kahler, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Lisbon, Maine)
B – Hayley Winslow, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Falmouth, Maine)
B – Robin Powell, Simmons (Sr., Richmond, Vt.)
GK – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Gorham, Maine)

Second Team
F – Cailin Flannery, Lasell (So., Medford, N.J.)
F – Samantha Taylor, Lasell (Fr., Hanover, Mass.)
F – Sarah Hemstock, Mount Ida (So., Northford, Conn.)
F – Sammy Rondeau, Simmons (Jr., Franklin, Mass.)
M – Julia Franzik, Lasell (So., Wallingford, Conn.)
M – Lexi Minicucci, Mount Ida (Jr., Westfield, Mass.)
M – Ana Giarrusso, Simmons (So., Hingham, Mass.)
B – Emily Standring, Anna Maria (Sr., Worcester. Mass.)
B – Taylor Falco, Lasell (Jr., Hazlet, N.J.)
B – Jessica Kocur, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Mattapoisett, Mass.)
GK – Brianna Rastello, Simmons (Sr., Salem, N.H.)

Offensive Player of the Year – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons
Defensive Player of the Year – Robin Powell, Simmons
Rookie of the Year – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Coach of the Year – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Rivier University

All-Sportsmanship Team
Ashley George, Anna Maria (Sr., Leicester, Mass.)
Amy Martin, Johnson & Wales (Sr., Enfield, Conn.)
Courtney Braman, Lasell (Sr., Gardner , Mass.)
Emily McConnell, Mount Ida (Jr., Lowell, Mass.)
Chelsie Hubicsak-Muldowney, Rivier (Sr., Windham, N.H.)
Amy Wilson, Simmons (Sr., Falmouth , Mass.)
Kayla Veilleux, Saint Joseph's (ME) (So., Sabattus, Maine)