TimesLeader.com

Marywood dominates soccer all-star selections

    Marywood University has had the top women’s soccer team in the Colonial States Athletic Conference throughout the season and the Pacers were rewarded Sunday when the conference announced its all-star team.

    The Pacers swept the major awards, gained five first-team selections and set a program record by having a total of 10 players honored between first team, second team and honorable mention.

    Marywood (9-0-1 in the CSAC) is the top seed heading into the CSAC tournament where it will try to clinch a second straight National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III national tournament berth.

    Senior forward Lisa Hanselman was named CSAC Women’s Soccer Player of the Year while Olivia Habicht was named Rookie of the Year and Andrew Smith Coach of the Year.

    Hanselman leads the CSAC with 18 goals and 38 points and is tied for the lead with five game-winning goals.

    Habicht started all 16 games at midfield and has 11 goals and four assists.

    Smith, who was also a conference Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2008, has a 97-71-10 record in 10 seasons.

    Andrea Barker, a defender who was co-Player of the Year last season, repeats as a first-team, all-star. Hanselman moves up from the second team.

    They are joined by Olivia Habicht, defender Lacey Habicht and goalie Meghan Coyle.

    Coyle had an 0.55 goals against average in conference play.

    Barker and Lacey Habicht are part of a defense that has helped the team post seven shutouts while allowing 0.88 goals per game overall.

    Lisa Gavin was selected as a second-team midfielder after scoring 14 points.

    Forward Siobhan Blancaflor, midfielder Leslie Higham and defender Shannon Hresko each received honorable mention. Blancaflor is the team’s second-leading scorer with 28 points on nine goals and 10 assists. Hresko often gets the offense started by handling direct kicks and corner kicks. Higham is often responsible for marking an opponent’s top attacking midfielder.

    Eric Mechalke was Marywood’s recipient of the CSAC Sportsmanship Award.

    Baptist Bible had two second-team selections – back Brittany Dewalt and midfielder Hannah Andrist, a graduate of Summit Christian Academy. The Lady Defenders also placed forward Sandy Richie and goalkeeper Melanie Williams, a West Scranton graduate, on the honorable mention list

    BBC’s Hannah Gibson and Keystone’s Brianna Borowski were Sportsmanship Award recipients.

    For more on local college sports, see Saturday's Scranton Edition of the Times Leader.