CENTER VALLEY, Pa — Navy, the No. 1 seed of the 2019 Patriot League Women’s Soccer Championship, claimed two of the League’s six major women’s soccer awards when the League office announced its postseason honors on Tuesday. Army West Point, Holy Cross, Lafayette and Loyola Maryland all received one major award each.
Lafayette junior forward Krista Kissell earned the Patriot League Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, while Loyola Maryland senior Hannah Hoefs garnered midfielder of the year honors. Navy senior back Alex Jackson collected the defensive player of the year for the second year in a row, while teammate freshman defender Kaitlynn Johns was named the rookie of the year. Army West Point junior Sydney Cassalia tabbed the goalkeeper of the year, while Holy Cross head coach Casey Brown rounded out the major awards as she garnered coach of the year.
Twelve student-athletes were named to each of the first- and second- teams while eleven were named to the third-team All-Patriot League squad. Of the 35 All-League selections there are fourteen seniors, eleven juniors, six sophomores, and four freshmen.
Navy led the way with eight overall All-League selections, followed by Holy Cross and Loyola Maryland with five. Army West Point and Colgate followed with four honorees apiece while Lehigh and Lafayette both earned three spots each on the teams. Boston University placed two student-athletes on the teams, as American rounded out the squads with one member.
2019 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year
Krista Kissell, Lafayette, Jr., F
*Kissell led the Patriot League in assists (6) this season and helped the Leopards clinch a playoff berth in the Patriot League Tournament.
*She had four goals, including one game-winner, and 14 total points on the season.
*The junior was a First-Team All-Patriot League selection, one of two Leopards on the 1st-team.
2019 Patriot League Midfielder of the Year
Hannah Hoefs, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
*Hoefs led the Patriot League in points (17) and goals (7) and is a First-Team All-Patriot League selection for the Greyhounds.
*Hoefs played a main factor in Loyola Maryland hosting a quarterfinal for the first time since 2015.
*She was selected as a 2018 Third-Team All-Patriot League recipient.
2019 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year
Alex Jackson, Navy, Jr., D
*Jackson led a Navy squad that ranked fourth in the country in goals-against average (0.355) and seventh in shutout percentage (0.684) and only allowed seven goals in 19 games played this season.
*Jackson had five points on the season for the Mids, including one game-winning goal this season.
*She was selected as 2019 Preseason Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and was the 2018 Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year.
2019 Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year
Sydney Cassalia, Army West Point, Jr., GK
*Cassalia led the Black Knights to the Patriot League tournament as Army West Point went on a five-game unbeaten streak to secure the No. 3 seed and host a quarterfinal.
*She had a 0.89 goals-against average, five shutouts, and seven wins on the season for the Black Knights.
*Cassalia was selected to the 2019 Patriot League Preseason All-League Team.
2019 Patriot League Rookie of the Year
Kaitlynn Johns, Navy, Fr., D
*Johns helped anchor the top defense in the Patriot League during the 2019 season.
*She played a vital role in the Navy defense that collected 13 shutouts on the season.
*Navy ended the regular season on a five-game unbeaten streak and did not allow a goal in any of those games.
2019 Patriot League Coach of the Year
Casey Brown, Holy Cross
*Brown led the Crusaders to their first Patriot League tournament appearance since 2000, with a conference record of 3-1-5.
*In her fourth year at the helm of Holy Cross, the Crusaders had five Patriot League All-League selections.
*The Crusaders will be the No. 2 seed and host the highest-remaining seed in the semifinals in Annapolis, Md. this upcoming weekend.
2019 Patriot League Women’s Soccer Major Awards and All-Patriot League Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Krista Kissell, Lafayette, Jr., F
Midfielder of the Year: Hannah Hoefs, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Jackson, Navy, Sr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sydney Cassalia, Army West Point, Jr., GK
Rookie of the Year: Kaitlynn Johns, Navy, Fr., D
Coach of the Year: Casey Brown, Holy Cross
First Team All-Patriot League*
Krista Kissell, Lafayette, Jr., F
Sarah Bayer, Loyola Maryland, So., F
Kristina Dzhandzhapanyan, Navy, Jr., F
Kelly Crowley, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Kayla Arestivo, Lehigh, Sr., M
Hannah Hoefs, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Cadie Higginson, Navy, Jr., M
Leah Lewis, Colgate, Sr., D
Caitlin Balmer, Lafayette, Sr., D
Alex Jackson, Navy, Sr., D
Sydney Cassalia, Army West Point, Jr., GK
Sydney Fortson, Navy, Sr., GK
Second Team All-Patriot League**
Alyssa Carfagno, Army West Point, Fr., F
Anna Heilferty, Boston University, Jr., F
Shannon Keefe, Boston University, Sr., F
Carly Flahive, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Hannah Pinkus, Colgate, So., M
Baseley McClaskey, Navy, Sr., M
Victoria Tran, Navy, So., M
Emily Torres, Army West Point, Jr., D
Ruby Diodati, Colgate, So., D
Julia Gray, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Sophia Lettieri, Holy Cross, Jr., GK
Paige Sim, Loyola Maryland, Fr., GK
Third Team All-Patriot League***
Maggie Wadsworth, Lehigh, Sr., F
Kaleigh Gallagher, Loyola Maryland, So., F
Jeana Freeman, Navy, Fr., F
Lauren Drysdale, Army West Point, Fr., M
Sage DiGiulio, Colgate, Jr., M
Sophie Saldivar, Lafayette, Jr., M
Asia Horne, American, Jr., D
Bridgette Dwyer, Holy Cross, Sr., D
Samantha Peters, Holy Cross, Sr., D
Annika Jansa, Lehigh, Sr., D
Avery Fries, Navy, So., D
Note: Teams are listed by position then alphabetical order by school
*Due to a tie in voting there are 12 student-athletes on the first- and second-team.
**Due to the tie for second-team goalkeepers, there is no goalkeeper on the third team.
***Due to a tie in voting there are 11 student-athletes on the third-team.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.