December 7, 2011
Four Women's Soccer Teams Honored for Academics
Four women’s soccer teams from the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) were honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for their academic accomplishments as a team. A total of 571 women’s soccer teams posted a team grade point average of 3.0 or higher, thereby earning the NSCAA Team Academic Award.
Geneseo boasted the highest grade-point average of the four SUNYAC teams with a 3.42 and are joined by Brockport (3.33), New Paltz (3.20) and Plattsburgh (3.19).
It is the sixth consecutive year Geneseo been honored. The 2011 team finished with a 14-4-2 record with a fifth place mark of 5-3-1 in SUNYAC. Geneseo defeated No. 4 Oneonta by a score of 1-0 in the first round of the SUNYAC tournament and fell to top-seeded Cortland in penalty kicks in the semifinals after a 0-0 draw.
Brockport earned its third academic honor in four years. The Golden Eagles finished their season with an 11-7-1 record and a sixth place standing in the SUNYAC. Brockport fell to Fredonia in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament before earning a bid to the ECAC Tournament were they finished as the runner-up.
New Paltz achieved a 14-6-3 overall record (6-2-1 SUNYAC) in 2011 and won its first-ever conference title. By virtue of winning the league championship, the Hawks earned automatic qualification into the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. They advanced, 3-2, on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie with then-No. 11 Lynchburg College in the first round and downed Rowan University, 2-1, in overtime in the second round before falling, 1-0, to the eventual national champion, top-ranked Messiah College, in the third round.
New Paltz achieved a 14-6-3 overall record (6-2-1 SUNYAC) in 2011 and won its first-ever conference title. By virtue of winning the league championship, the Hawks earned automatic qualification into the 2011 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. They advanced, 3-2, on penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie with then-No. 11 Lynchburg College in the first round and downed Rowan University, 2-1, in overtime in the second round before falling, 1-0, to the eventual national champion, top-ranked Messiah College, in the third round.
In 2011, the Plattsburgh women posted a record of 7-6-3 and finished with a SUNYAC record of 4-4-1 narrowly missing out on the post-season. The Cardinals were one of two conference teams to hand SUNYAC Champion New Paltz a loss on the season. In addition to New Paltz, Plattsburgh also faced three other NCAA tournament teams on the year losing twice by one goal.
