LAKE BUENA VISTA, FL – Six members of the Siena Women’s Soccer team were honored for their achievements on the field this season, while a program record 15 were recognized for their successes in the classroom by being named to the All-Academic Team at the MAAC Awards Banquet held at the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Senior captain Michele Tremblay and junior back Amanda Holtzman were heralded as First Team All-MAAC selections, senior captain Madison Vasquez, junior striker Gabby Albano, and sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Dorado earned Second Team acclaim, and freshman striker Darby D’Angelo was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.

 

This marks the third time in the past four years – albeit just the fourth time in program history – in which multiple Saints were named First Team All-MAAC. Siena’s three Second Team All-MAAC selections were the program’s most in seven years, and tied Manhattan for a league high. D’Angelo’s All-Rookie Team honor also represented the 17^th consecutive season in which the Saints have placed at least one freshman on the squad.

 

A Preseason All-MAAC pick, Tremblay earns First Team All-MAAC honors for the second consecutive season. The Goffstown, New Hampshire native currently ranks tied for 12^th nationally with a program single-season record tying nine assists, and her 19 career helpers are third most in school history. Tremblay has started in each of the team’s 18 matches to date at center midfield this season, and ranks second on the squad with 13 points. She was named one of just 30 Division I candidates nationally for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award earlier this fall.

 

Also heralded as a Preseason All-MAAC honoree, Holtzman has started all 18 matches at right back this fall, and leads the Saints with a total of 1,487 minutes logged. The Avon, Connecticut product has helped anchor a Siena defensive unit which currently boasts a stellar collective 1.07 team goals against average. Holtzman has also been an increased factor in the offensive third of the field this season, where she has registered her first two collegiate assists.

 

Vasquez has been a Preseason All-MAAC selection each of the past two seasons, and earns All-MAAC honors for the third year in a row. The West Babylon, New York standout has started all 18 matches alongside Tremblay in the center midfield this fall, and has tallied 10 points on the strength of five goals. Three of Vasquez’s scores have been game-winners, including the decisive tally in Sunday’s MAAC Quarterfinals victory over Marist.

 

Albano receives All-MAAC acclaim for the first time in her career following a breakout campaign in which she currently stands tied for 12^th nationally with five game-winning goals. The Nesconset, New York native has appeared in all 18 matches this fall making 17 starts, and ranks tied for third in the MAAC with eight goals, and tied for fifth in scoring with 18 points.

 

Dorado obtains Second Team All-MAAC honors for the second year in a row after being named the MAAC Defensive Player of the Week a program record four times during the regular season. The Guilderland, New York product leads the MAAC with a .844 save percentage. Dorado’s seven shutouts are third most in the MAAC and just one off Siena’s single-season record, and she also stands third in the conference with 92 saves.

 

D’Angelo was tabbed the MAAC Rookie of the Week Oct. 9 after scoring the golden goal in the Saints’ double overtime triumph over the rival Red Foxes. The Deansboro, New York standout currently ranks tied for 10^th in the MAAC with five assists. D’Angelo has also scored a pair of goals in totaling nine points, and has appeared in 17 matches including 14 starts.  

 

MAAC Regular Season Champion Monmouth understandably controlled the major awards portion of the evening, with head coach Krissy Turner tabbed the BSN Sports MAAC Coach of the Year, Amanda Knaub selected as the MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year, and Gabriella Cuevas honored as the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year. Manhattan’s Erica Modena was named the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year, while Fairfield’s Alex Madden and Quinnipiac’s Kelsey Goldring shared MAAC Rookie of the Year honors.

 

Siena’s 15 MAAC All-Academic Team selections broke the previous program benchmark of 13 set just two years ago. The MAAC All-Academic Team honors student athletes who have met the criteria of having completed at least two academic semesters at their current institution, while also maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher. The Saints’ entire Senior Class was named to the MAAC All-Academic Team with Ashley Carpenter, Kelsey Horst, Kaela Mahoney, Emily Santos, Casey Scott, Tremblay, and Vasquez honored. Additional honorees included juniors Albano, Holtzman, Lindsay Mulligan, Kamryn Peffley, and Meghan Riccardi, and sophomores Amber Alfonzo, Madi Belvito, and Haleigh Schanz. Earlier this fall, the Saints earned a United Soccer Coaches Association Team Academic Award for the 15^th consecutive season for maintaining a cumulative team GPA of 3.0 or higher. Siena entered the most recent fall semester with a cumulative team GPA of 3.39.

 

The Saints continue their quest for the program’s third MAAC Championship Tuesday when fourth seeded Siena battles top seed Monmouth in the semifinals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at 11 a.m. on ESPN3.