D'Agostino earned a spot on the NEC All-Tournament team after helping the Skyhawks reach the semifinal round last week ((PHOTO BY Andy Ferreira, '99) |
Murphy and D'Agostino first in program history to collect NEC honors following tournament debut at championship weekend
NEC Women's Lacrosse Championship Recap
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (May 7, 2024) – Stonehill College junior midfielder Sofia D'Agostino and sophomore attack Grace Murphy were both named to the NEC All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of the Northeast Conference's Women's Lacrosse Championship weekend hosted by Sacred Heart University at Campus Field this weekend.
D'Agostino and Murphy are the first in Stonehill women's lacrosse program history to earn NEC All-Tournament honors after the Skyhawks reached the semifinal round while making their postseason debut at the NCAA Division I level. Fourth-seeded Stonehill opened with a 19-14 triumph over fifth-seeded Saint Francis University in the first round, matching the NEC Tournament record for goals in a game, before falling to second-seeded and eventual NEC Champions LIU in the semifinals on Thursday in Fairfield.
D'Agostino played a key role in Stonehill gaining possession over its two postseason contests with nine draw controls, including six in the Skyhawks first round win over Saint Francis to aid in reversing a 6-0 deficit over the first ten minutes of the game. She also contributed three ground balls and two caused turnovers, while chipping in on the attack with three goals and an assist. D'Agostino scored all three of those goals in the first-round win over Saint Francis, also collecting two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
D'Agostino |
Murphy |
Murphy scored a team-high 11 goals in Stonehill's two NEC Tournament contests, including six of the Skyhawks seven goals in Thursday's NEC Semifinal matchup with LIU. She opened with a team-high five markers in Stonehill's opening round win over Saint Francis, scoring two-straight goals on either side of the first quarter break that sparked a seven-goal run to turn a six-goal deficit in the opening ten minutes of the game into the lead with 8:29 remaining in the second quarter. Murphy's third goal of the game gave Stonehill a three-goal lead (10-7) at halftime and then added two more goals in the fourth quarter as the Skyhawks sealed the win.
D'Agostino, an All-NEC first team selection this season, finished the year with 28 goals and five assists for 33 points, starting all 18 games for Stonehill. She also contributed 60 draw controls, 42 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers, ranking fourth among NEC leaders in ground balls and tied for eighth in draws.
Murphy earned All-NEC second team honors this season and currently leads the NEC with her 57 goals scored and is tied for second in scoring with 69 points, having dished out 12 assists in 18 games. She finished seven goals shy of the NEC's single-season record for goals scored, earning NEC Player of the Week honors once (February 26) with NEC Prime Performer honors four weeks having totaled 14 multi-goal games, including nine with four-plus goals.
Stonehill finished its second season at the NCAA Division I level with a 9-9 record overall, including 7-3 in the NEC to finish in fourth place in the final regular season standings and earn a spot in the NEC Tournament in its first year of eligibility. Six Skyhawks earned All-NEC honors with seniors Molly Mae Hughes and Lilly Leach also earning NEC Offensive Player and Midfielder of the Year honors as well.
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