Smith |
Antonellis |
Smith collects first team All-America honors for second-straight year
Antonellis a first-time NFHCA All-America selection with her first team honors
Longstreth/NFHCA Division II All-Americans Announced
EASTON, Mass. (December 11, 2017) – Two members of the Stonehill College field hockey program have earned a spot on the 2017 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II All-America first team, the organization announced today.
Junior forward Kacie Smith (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) and sophomore back Michaela Antonellis (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) both earn first team All-America honors from the NFHCA, giving the program 32 Longstreth/NFHCA All-Americans all-time, with eight during head coach Susan Ciufo's three years at the College. Smith earns first team All-America honors for the second-straight year, marking just the program's third two-time first team All-American in its history and eighth student-athlete in program history overall to earn All-America honors multiple seasons.
Smith, the two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and All-NE10 first team selection, is the reigning NFHCA East Region Player of the Year, recently completing a historic offensive season at both the NE10 and NCAA Division II level. She set a new NCAA Division II record with her 41 goals scored this season, leading all three levels of NCAA field hockey in goals and points, finishing the year with an NE10-record 99 points – just three shy of the NCAA Division II mark. Smith also added a Stonehill record 17 assists, leading Division II in that category as well.
Smith, who appeared in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the November 6 issue of Sports Illustrated, scored a goal in 18 of Stonehill's 20 games this season, including a run of 16-staight games at one point. She netted multiple goals in 11 games, including nine hat tricks, posting a string of seven straight multi-goal games during the season that included four-straight hat tricks. Smith scored a career-high four goals three-times, including a 9-0 win over American International College on September 8, in which she also dished a career-high three assists for a career-best 11 points. She also led the NE10 with nine gamewinning goals.
Smith is a consensus first team All-American for the second-straight year. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Smith, also a consensus first team All-America performer as a sophomore, ranks second in program history with 183 points and 77 goals in 61 career games, while ranking third all-time with 29 career assists. She earned NE10 and Longstreth/NFHCA Division II Offensive Player of the Week accolades three times this season and four times each over her career at Stonehill. Smith collected Synapse Sports Division II All-Rookie honors and NE10 All-Rookie Team status her freshman year.
Antonellis, named a Synapse Sports second team All-American last week and an All-NE10 first team honoree this season, enjoyed a breakout year for Stonehill, standing out on the Skyhawks penalty corner offensive and defensive units. Antonellis finished fourth on the team in scoring with 12 points, netting four goals and dishing out four assists – tied for third on the team on the latter, in 20 games. She has also contributed a team-high three defensive saves.
Antonellis enjoyed a breakout game in Stonehill's 5-0 win at Bentley University on September 20, netting the first two goals of her collegiate career and adding her first collegiate assist for a five-point game. The Skyhawks recorded a 2.20 team goals against average this season, with six shutouts. Antonellis has 23 starts in 40 career games played over her two seasons at Stonehill.
Stonehill finished its 2017 season with a 13-7 record overall, including 10-2 in the NE10, earning the program's ninth NCAA Tournament bid after appearing in the NE10 semifinals for the fifth-straight year.
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