Sophomore back Claire O'Brien was named to the All-NE-10 second team after starting every game for Stonehill this fall and recording five points on two goals and two assists. |
O'Brien and Fay named to second and third teams, respectively
Shannahan selected to All-Rookie team
O'Brien |
Fay |
Shannahan |
EASTON, Mass. (November 5, 2014) – Three members of the Stonehill College women's soccer team have earned All-Conference accolades from the Northeast-10, the league office announced yesterday.
Sophomore back Claire O'Brien (West Hartford, Connecticut/Hall) was named to the second team, while classmate Hannah Fay (Tolland, Connecticut/Tolland) earned a third team selection and freshman midfielder Taylor Shannahan (Mendham, New Jersey/Morris Catholic) landed on the All-Rookie team.
After starting all 18 games and making an immediate impact as a freshman last season, O'Brien continued to be a key member of the Stonehill defensive unit this fall. The sophomore back started in each of Stonehill's 18 matches this season, helping to lead a defense that posted the seventh-lowest goals against average (1.15) in the NE-10 while recording five shutouts.
O'Brien also expanded her offensive game this season, scoring the first two goals of her collegiate career to go with an assist for a total of five points. The West Hartford, Connecticut native helped spark Stonehill's comeback from an early 2-0 deficit in the season opener against Assumption College on September 5th with her 34th minute goal, as the Skyhawks eventually posted a 4-2 victory.
A month later, O'Brien found the back of the net again, this time in a 1-0 Stonehill triumph at American International College on October 4th. The sophomore defender delivered the game-winner on a free kick from 25 yards out in the 89th minute, lifting the Skyhawks to one of their most memorable wins of the regular season. O'Brien also provided the assist on Shannahan's 18th minute goal in Stonehill's 2-1 triumph over Merrimack College on October 15th.
This marks the second consecutive campaign that O'Brien has collected a postseason award, as she was recognized by the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) with a selection to the All-New England second team following her successful freshman season. In the classroom, O'Brien was named to both the NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll each semester during the 2013-14 academic year.
A 2013 graduate of William H. Hall High School in West Hartford, Connecticut, O'Brien was a four-year letterwinner for head coach Scott Ferguson. She was named to the All-Academic team all four years at Hall, in addition to earning Central Connecticut Conference (CCC) All-West Division honors as a junior and senior.
Sophomore Hannah Fay earned All-Conference third team honors from the NE-10 after starting ten matches this season and scoring the first two goals of her collegiate career. |
Fay earns a third team nod following a season in which she appeared in each of Stonehill's 18 matches, starting ten of those contests. The sophomore midfielder tallied five points on two goals and an assist, good for a three way tie for third on the team.
Fay scored the third of Stonehill's four unanswered goals in the team's 4-2 win over Assumption on September 5th in the Catholic Cup. The goal, which was the first of Fay's collegiate career, also served as the game-winning tally. The Tolland, Connecticut native added an assist in Stonehill's 3-0 shutout of the University of New Haven on September 27th, before netting her second goal of the season last Saturday as the Skyhawks dropped a 2-1 decision at Adelphi University in the regular season finale for both teams.
As a freshman last fall, Fay appeared in just one game, Stonehill's home-opening loss to Felician College on September 8th. She has excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on both the NE-10 and Athletic Director's Honor Rolls each of her first two semesters at Stonehill.
A 2013 graduate of Tolland High School, Fay was a four-year letterwinner for head coach Ken Boucher, earning All-CCC honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior. In addition, she was named to the Hartford Courant All-Courant team as a senior after garnering honorable mention recognition as a junior.
Freshman Taylor Shannahan became the fifth Skyhawk in program history to be named to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team after starting seven games and scoring two goals this season. |
Rounding out Stonehill's All-NE-10 performers this season is Shannahan, who became the fifth Skyhawk in program history to earn a selection to the All-Rookie Team. Sophomore forward Lauren Kapatoes (Hopedale, Massachusetts/Hopedale) accomplished the feat last season, while senior midfielder Maddie Manning (Weymouth, Massachusetts/Weymouth) earned an All-Rookie nod in 2011.
Shannahan appeared in 15 games this season, making seven starts. Her two goals were tied with five other Skyhawks for the third-highest total on the team. The Mendham, New Jersey native found the back of the net for the first time in her career in Stonehill's home opener on September 10th, a 6-0 victory over Molloy College. Shannahan got the scoring started in the 43rd minute, when she headed home a cross from senior midfielder Carolyn Moodie (Littleton, Massachusetts/Littleton).
The freshman added another header goal in Stonehill's 2-1 win over Merrimack on October 15th, this time following a long free kick into the box by O'Brien in the 18th minute. Shannahan made her first career start at American International on October 4th, and started five of Stonehill's next six games from October 9th-October 21st.
A 2014 graduate of Morris Catholic High School in Denville, New Jersey, Shannahan earned All-Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) first team honors as a junior and senior in addition to All-County and All-State accolades as a senior last fall.
Stonehill finished its 2014 regular season at 8-7-2, earning the eighth seed in the NE-10 Championship with a 6-6-2 league record. The Skyhawks fell to top-seeded Assumption, 2-1, in overtime last night in Worcester, Mass. in the quarterfinal round.
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