Trinity's Ley Finishes As NESCAC Women's Soccer Assist Leader In 2008
Hartford, Conn., June 23, 2009 - The Trinity College women's soccer team, coached by Michael Smith, finished the 2008 season with its best record since 2004 at 9-6 and a 4-5 conference mark. The Bantams came in sixth place in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) and earned their second consecutive NESCAC Championship Tournament appearance. Trinity lost, 2-0, in the NESCAC Quarterfinals at Middlebury.
Sophomore goalkeeper Emily Weedon (Wellesley, Mass.) recovered from an early-season injury to start 12 games and finish with 52 saves for an .776 save percentage, 15 goals allowed for a 1.30 GAA with 4.5 shutouts in 1039 minutes. She was named the NESCAC Player of the Week once this season. Freshman Lily Pepper (Princeton Junction, N.J.) added 15 saves for an .882 save percentage, two goals allowed for a 0.57 GAA, and 2.5 shutouts in four games (three starts) and 315 minutes in the Bantam goal.
Trinity finished third in the NESCAC in scoring this fall with 2.07 goals per game (31). Freshman forward Jenny Ley (Warwick, R.I.) starting all 15 games and led the Bantams in scoring with eight goals (2nd on team, 6th in NESCAC) and a team-high eight assists (1st in NESCAC) for 24 points (3rd in NESCAC), while fellow first-year forward Leigh Howard (Bethany, Conn.) added a team-high nine goals (3rd in NESCAC) and two assists for 20 points (5th in NESCAC), and a team-high three game-winning goals in 15 games (14 starts). Both Ley and Howard were named to the 2009 All-NESCAC Second Team, and Ley was selected as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Senior forward Delia DeBlois (Sherborn, Mass.) had three goals and two assists, while sophomore midfielder Morgan Sackman (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.) had three goals and one assist, and freshman forward Shawna Altdorf (Brooklyn, Conn.) notched two goals and one assist and was named NESCAC Player of the Week once this season. DeBlois and Sackman each started every game, while Altdorf played in all 15 games. DeBlois finishes her collegiate career with six goals (two gamewinners) and three assists in 30 games.
Senior co-captain Erika Maciaszczyk (Milton, Mass.) totaled one goal and two assists in 14 starts, while junior midfielder Lauren Olsen (Cheshire, Conn.) started every game and tallied a goal and two assists, and sophomore midfielder Maika Scifo (River Edge, N.J.) started all 15 games and represented Trinity women's soccer on the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team. Maciaszczyk, who played all field positions in her collegiate career, finished her time at Trinity with five goals (three gamewinners) and six assists in 49 games.
On defense, senior co-captain Devin Nwanagu (Westborough, Mass.), senior Amelia Shister (Mamaroneck, N.Y), and sophomore Caroline Washburne (Medfield, Mass.) each started every game, while junior Caitlin Prendergast (Braintree, Mass.) played in every game with one start. Former midfielders Nwanagu and Prendergast continued to contribute offensively with two goals and one assist each, while Washburne tallied one assist. Freshmen Kristen Ramsay (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Courtney DeVinney (Wallingford, Pa.) each made an immediate impact as rookie backs, while versatile senior Taniko Nelson (Chicago, Ill.) appearing in seven games and started one. Nwanagu, a two-time All-NESCAC selection and the 2005 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, closes her outstanding career at Trinity with 15 goals (four gamewinners) and eight assists for 38 points in 58 games (tied College record). Shister played in 29 games in her two-year career, after transferring to Trinity from Arizona, while Nelson finished her Bantam career with two assists in 27 games.
