Women's Soccer Lands Seven Players on All-Conference Teams

NEWTON, Mass. (11/7/16) -- Just two days after winning its seventh straight Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) championship, the Lasell College women's soccer team saw seven players garner All-Conference accolades on Monday.

Senior Mack Kingman (East Bridgewater, Mass.) leads the way as Co-Defensive Player of the Year and one of four All-Conference First Team selections, joining classmate Megan Cullen (Amesbury, Mass.) and sophomores Carly Zdanek (Newton, N.J.) and Erika Badger (Scituate, Mass.).

Junior Sarah LaClair (Belchertown, Mass.) was named Second Team goalkeeper, and senior Devon Day (Hartland, Vt.) and sophomore Sabrina Morais (Arlington, Mass.) were two of the four midfielders selected to the Third Team.

Lasell's representation is tied for with Johnson & Wales for the lead among all GNAC schools, a year after it had six players earn All-Conference status. Cullen, LaClair, Zdanek, Kingman, and junior Casey Meissner (Sandwich, Mass.) were all named to the GNAC All-Tournament Team following Saturday's 2-1 win over Albertus Magnus in the championship game, with Kingman earning Most Outstanding Player.

Kingman shares Defensive Player of the Year honors with JWU's Nadine Simpson. She started all 21 games for Lasell, leading a defensive unit that surrendered just 14 goals on the season while also taking 11 shots.

An All-Conference First Team member for the second straight year, Cullen finished her senior campaign with a league-best 47 points and tied with St. Joseph's (Maine) sophomore Haley DaGraca for top marks with 21 goals and 90 total shots. Cullen saved her biggest goal of the season for the most crucial time, scoring her sixth game-winner with less than two minutes remaining in the title game.

DaGraca was named Offensive Player of the Year, the same honor Cullen won last season. Janelle Harris of St. Joseph's (Maine) was named Coach of the Year, while JWU's Colleen Lynch was named Rookie and Goalkeeper of the Year.

Zdanek was another offensive force for Lasell, finishing second on the team to Cullen with 29 points. She posted nine multiple-point games on the season, while her nine assists led the GNAC. Badger rounds out the First Team selections after posting six goals and five assists for 17 points after just posting two a year ago, while sitting second on the team with 76 shots.

LaClair posted another outstanding season in net as she led the league with 17 wins, seven of which were shutouts. Her 0.62 goals-against average and .854 save percentage both ranked second in the conference. On Oct. 1 at St. Joseph (Conn.), LaClair set a new Lasell record with her 16th career shutout.

Day scored four goals and six assists in her senior season, while posting 45 total shots. She netted the game-winning goal in the second half of last Wednesday's GNAC semifinal win over SJC, the first of her career.

Morais started in every game as a sophomore, contributing four goals, including the equalizer in the GNAC title game, and three assists. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Morais has six points in her last six games.

The Lasers will face Amherst College in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday, November 12th with kickoff time to be determined. The last time the two met, the Lasers became the lone team in school history to move past the First Round with a 3-1 upset.