Three Receive GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Major Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. – It took a total team effort for Regis College to post a 15-3 overall record and advance to the title game of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Lacrosse Tournament, as reflected in the selection of seven players to one of the All-GNAC squads, as the league's postseason awards were announced Monday by the league office.
Highlighting the Pride's honorees are three major award winners: Junior Meghan Sargent (Brattleboro, Vt.) as GNAC Defender of the Year, sophomore Brittany McPherson (Lynn, Mass.) as GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year, and sixth-year head coach Courtney Duggan as GNAC Coach of the Year.
A First Team All-GNAC selection last season representing Mount Ida College, Sargent quickly established herself within the Pride defense this year, starting 16 of the 17 matches she appeared in. Sargent led the team with 42 caused turnovers, currently in the top 70 in Division III in caused turnovers per game at 2.47, plus she finished the season third on the squad in ground balls with 52. Besides helping the defense hold opponents to less than eight goals per game, she scored two goals this season against Thomas College (April 9) and Emmanuel College (April 27).
McPherson played every second of every match in net for the Pride, setting a new school record for most goaltending wins in a season with 15. After this weekend's games across the country, McPherson is 15th in Division III in save percentage (.532) and 16th in the nation in goals against average (7.82), finishing the season with 160 saves for exactly 200 saves so far in her collegiate career. She turned away at least half of the opponent's shots on goal 11 times this season, with a single-game best save percentage of .833 at St. Joseph March 20 when she allowed just two goals while making 10 saves, one of seven matches this season for McPherson with double-digit saves.
Duggan brought the most out of a squad that had a lot of experience individually, but not as much experience playing together on the field after several 2018 starters graduated last year. The 15 victories this season tied the 2017 campaign for most wins in a single year in program history, and the team put together a school-record 13-match winning streak from March 16 through April 17. Picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches' poll, Regis finished in second place with a 10-1 league mark, including an overtime road victory at Saint Joseph's College and two one-goal victories, one in the regular season and one in the GNAC Tournament semifinals, against perennial contender Lasell.
Besides Sargent and McPherson, three other Regis players received First Team All-GNAC honors, giving the Pride the most First Team honorees with five. Junior attacker Kerri Anselmo (Natick, Mass.) led Regis with 40 assists, the most in a single season by a Pride player, and 88 total points, third-most in a season in program history. Anselmo also scored 48 goals in 2019, including six-goal performances at Emmanuel April 1 and against Lasell May 1, featuring the game-winning goal with 30 seconds remaining in regulation.
Senior midfielder Alyssa Kelly (Lee, Mass.) earns her third career First Team All-GNAC honor, with the previous two received during her time at Mount Ida College. Kelly led the Pride with 53 goals, plus she collected 15 assists, 55 ground balls, 40 draw controls, and 28 caused turnovers. She finished the season with 12 hat tricks, including five-goal efforts at Emmanuel April 1 and against Colby-Sawyer April 13. Including her time at Mount Ida, Kelly completed her collegiate career with 266 goals and 109 assists for 375 total points.
Junior defender Maddy Rodriguez (Amherst, Mass.) has been a mainstay in the Pride lineup right from the beginning of her collegiate career, starting all 56 Regis matches over the past three seasons. This year, she collected 46 ground balls and caused 23 turnovers, including five ground balls and four caused turnovers in a tight 9-5 Regis victory over Simmons March 23. Rodriguez was also called upon to help the Pride during draws as the season went along, earning 17 draw controls, including three draw controls in each of Regis' two matches against Lasell as well as at Saint Joseph's College.
Freshman defender Brooke Greatorex (Gorham, Maine) received Second Team All-GNAC recognition after starting 17 of the 18 matches during her initial collegiate season. Greatorex ended the season second on the team with 32 caused turnovers and fourth on the squad with 50 ground balls. Senior midfielder Emily Kosak (Milton, Mass.) picked up Third Team All-GNAC honors as she contributed 24 goals, 38 draw controls, 25 caused turnovers, and a team-high 72 ground balls, fifth-most in a season in program history. In the GNAC Tournament quarterfinal against Emmanuel, Kosak finished with three goals, five ground balls, and six draw controls.
Junior attacker Bridget Dowling (Hanover, Mass.) is Regis' representative on the GNAC Women's Lacrosse All-Sportsmanship Team. Dowling was a strong, supportive presence for the Pride throughout the season, including from the bench during the six matches she missed due to injury before returning to action during the conference tournament.
Regis tied conference champion Johnson & Wales for most honorees on the three All-GNAC teams with seven apiece. Allison Pazienski of Johnson & Wales was voted GNAC Attacker of the Year, while Lasell's Jordan McComb received GNAC Midfielder of the Year honors. Emmanuel's Emily Saef was voted GNAC Rookie of the Year, and Anna Maria College earned the GNAC Institutional Sportsmanship Award for women's lacrosse.