Lasers' Updates 11/13/2008
Men's Soccer
The Lasers were selected as the seventh seed in the 2008 ECAC DIII New England Men's Soccer Championships this week and were pitted against 2nd seeded Curry College in the quarter finals.
The Lasers fought hard against the Colonels on Wednesday, holding Curry to a scoreless first half. Goalkeeper Julian Dutton (Madison, CT) was skillful in the net, collecting 6 first half saves, while the Lasell defense was also on point throughout, with Paul Meucci (Vernon, CT), Rocco Mazzaferro (Niskayuna, NY) and Steve Salerno (Stoneham, MA) protecting the Lasers' goal.
It was the Colonels who came out with the sole goal of the game midway through the second period, securing a 1-0 win, and stopping the Lasers season in its tracks. The Lasers end the year with a 12-8-0 overall record and their second program appearance in the ECAC post season tournament.
Three Lasell College men's soccer players were selected to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference Teams for the 2008 season. Zach Gagne of Somerset, Massachusetts was named to the first team, with fellow teammates Dan Hatch of Avon, Massachusetts and Kuol Acuek of Lincoln, Massachusetts being named to the third team.
Gagne (left) has been an All-Conference selection for all four years as a Lasell athlete. Gagne was named to the NAC All Conference 2nd team as a freshman in 2005, and then the 1st team in 2006, along with being the Player of the Week twice. Gagne was once again recognized in 2007 and 2008 as a first team All-Conference player in the GNAC, and has also been selected as Player of the Week twice in the 2008 season.
This season, Gagne is leading the team in points with 31, and is second on the team in goals scored (12). His presence on the field is immense as he can not only create his own offense, but he is a great distributer of the ball, leading the Lasers with 7 assists this season. He is ranked 4th in the GNAC in total points and 5th in points per game (1.72). He is 5th in goals and goals per game (.67), and is fourth overall in assists (7).
Gagne is the men's soccer team's all time leading scorer at Lasell College with 121 total points to date. He has a career 8 game winning goals and a .573 shots on goal percentage. Gagne has been a four year starter for the Lasers, and a three year captain, beginning his sophomore year. During his time at Lasell, the Lasers have made appearances in the NCAA tournament and ECAC post season tournament. Gagne was also selected to the All-Tournament team in 2008 and was honored as the Lasell candidate for the All-Sportsmanship team.
Hatch (right) finished his first season with the Lasers as the leader in goals scored and in total points. Hatch has made an immediate impact on the Lasers, ending the year with 31 total points, on 13 goals and 5 assists. Hatch is ranked 4th in the GNAC for points and second in points per game, averaging 1.82. He is fourth in total goals, and third in goals per game (.76) in the GNAC. He is also tied for 8th in the GNAC in total assists with five, and assists per game (.29).
In the seventeen games Hatch played this season, he has produced the game winning goal in six of those games. Even more impressive is that five of those six game winners were against conference competition. Hatch is second in the GNAC in game winning goals.
Acuek (left) has been a starting player for the Lasell since arriving in 2005, and his impact on the program has been dramatic. He is a technical player in the midfield for the Lasers, however he exhibits tremendous defensive skill as well. Extremely athletic and tough, Acuek will beat players in one on one situations majority of the time.
Acuek has played 64 games in the blue and white over his
career. He has scored 12 goals and dished out 6 assists,
totaling 30 points for his career.
Also being honored by the GNAC this season was Paul Meucci, of Vernon, Connecticut, who was selected to the GNAC All-Tournament team along with Gagne.
Securing the defense in the center back position, Meucci (right) shows incredible leadership on and off the field for Lasell with his positive disposition. Meucci plays incredible defense but can also create offense with his ability to distribute the ball. Meucci collected two assists this season.
Women's Soccer
The women's soccer team made their way into the 2008 ECAC DIII New England Women's Soccer Championships for the first time in program history. The Lasers ended up seeded eighth, and were matched against the no. 1 seeded Keene State Owls, who were making their ninth trip to the tournament.
The Owls took control of the game from the start, breaking into a 3-0 lead before halftime. Lasell's Jordynn Frollo (Uxbridge, MA) forced the brunt of the attack on Keene State's net, but was unable to score.
Jamie Remmers (West Islip, NY) and Elizabeth Stickley (Mashpee, MA) shared time in goal for Lasell in the ECAC game. Remmers finished the match with 8 saves in the first half, and Stickley picked up an additional 5 saves in the second half.
The Owls pulled out an 8-0 win over the Lasers, ending Lasell's season at 10-6-2 overall.
The women's soccer team did have four athletes named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference's All Conference teams this season. First year Meredith Hessler of Middletown, Rhode Island and junior Alaina Mitrano of Medford, Massachusetts made the First Team All Conference, while Elizabeth Stickley made Second Team All Conference and Jordynn Frollo made Third Team.
Hessler (left) started in 18 of 18 games this season for the Lasers. As a freshman, Hessler is the tied as the second leading scorer on the team this season, with 13 total points. She scored 6 goals and dished out 1 assist, including one game winning goal against New England College. In conference play, Hessler scored 3 goals and also had one assist. Hessler has a .553 shots on goal percentage this season overall.
Mitrano (right) has been one of Lasell's leading defenders all season long, all the while battling injuries. Mitrano played the role of co-captain this season, providing leadership on and off the field for the Lasers. She is a skillful defender, but also has the ability to create offense for the Lasers. Mitrano picked up 5 assists this season, and was leading the league in assists and assists per game for most of the year. Mitrano finished 7th in the GNAC in assists per game, averaging .36 per game.
As a freshman, Stickley (left) has played in 12 games for the blue and white, and has put in some very impressive performances in net. Stickley is leading the GNAC with a .884 save percentage, and is ranked 15th nationally in Division III for the same statistic. She also finished fifth in the GNAC in saves per game (7.64). Stickley finished the year with 89 total saves, and one solo shutout, along with 3 shared shutouts. Stickley has an amazing ability to anticipate shots and is skilled to know how and when to challenge players. This is the first time Stickley has been recognized by the GNAC during the 2008 season.
The final athlete to be honored by the GNAC is freshman defender Jordynn Frollo. Frollo (right) has started in all 18 contests for the Lasers this season, and in all 12 GNAC games. Frollo anchored the defense at the beginning of the season, then adapted into a midfielder by the end of the season. Frollo produced 8 points this season, almost entirely on assists, making her the leader in assists for the Lasers. Within the conference, Frollo finished tied for ninth in assists (6 total), and 8th in assists per game (.35 per game). Frollo's shots on goal percentage was an even .500 in the 2008 season. During the season, Frollo was recognized once by the GNAC as Rookie of the Week.
Field Hockey
Caitlyn Walker and Tia Pratt were selected to the North Atlantic Conference All-Conference second team. This is the second year in a row that Walker and Pratt have been chosen for the 2nd team All-Conference, as well as Pratt receiving Rookie of the Year honors last season as well. Meagan DeAndrade was also recognized as an honorable mention by the league.
In the 2008 season, Walker (left) leads the Lasers in goals and total points. She scored 20 goals and dished out 3 assists for a total of 43 points this year. Walker has a .583 shots on goal percentage this season, as well as scoring three game winning goals. Walker was ranked second in the NAC for goals per game, averaging 1.25 goals per game, 6th in points per game, . Nationally, Walker is ranked 27th in the NCAA DIII Field Hockey statistics for points per game (2.39) and 17th in goals per game (1.25). Walker also scored 6 goals in a game against Elms College this season, setting the school record for goals in a game.
Walker not only leads through her athletic ability, but is also a leader through her positive disposition, and holds the role of team co-captain for the Lasers. As a junior, this 5'7" forward from Middlebury, Connecticut has already made a permanent mark on the Lasell Field Hockey program. In three seasons, Walker has broken the college record for total points in a season (43), goals in a game (6), points per game (1.44), and total career points (79).
Pratt, a 5'6" sophomore from South Paris, Maine, finished this season with 13 points, on four goals and five assists. Playing in the midfield, Pratt (left) has great speed and athletic ability that gave her an edge over her competition. In just two seasons, Pratt is already one of the top assist leaders in Lasell history, with 11 career assists. She is a selfless player who has an uncanny ability to distribute the ball to teammates.
Pratt finishes this season with a .500 shots on goal percentage and one game winning goal. She averaged .30 assists per game, and was ranked tenth in the NAC for assists.
DeAndrade, also a junior, finished second on the team in points, with 18 total. DeAndrade (right) had an impressive .839 shots on goal percentage this season, and has an equally impressive .717 career percentage. DeAndrade scored seven times this season for the Lasers, once being a game winning goal, and distributed 4 assists. With another season to go, DeAndrade, a New Bedford, Massachusetts native, is also on track to leave her mark on the Lasell record books.
Upcoming Games:
Saturday, November 15th-
- - Cross Country NCAA Regionals @ Williams College
- - Women's Basketball @ Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament
v. Wheaton College @ 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 16th-
- - Women's Basketball @Wheaton College Tip-Off Tournament
Consolation game 1:00 p.m.
Championship game 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday, November 18th-
- - Men's Basketball Home Opener v. #9 Brandeis University, 7:00 p.m., Athletic Center
Wednesday, November 19th-
- - Women's Basketball Home Opener v. Eastern Nazarene, 7:00 p.m., Athletic Center
Friday, November 21st-
- - Men's Basketball @ Roger Williams Tournament
v. Western Connecticut State University, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 22nd-
- - Women's Basketball v. Roger Williams University, 2:00 p.m., Athletic Center
- - Men's Basketball @ Roger Williams University Tournament
Consolation Game 1:00 p.m.
Championship Game 3:00 p.m.
Home games are in bold.