ECAC Announces 2018 Division II Women's Soccer All-ECAC
DANBURY, Conn. - The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) has announced its 2018 Division II Women's Soccer All-ECAC Team.
Salem University nearly swept the major awards as Sophomore forward Thuto Ramafifi was voted Offensive Player of the Year, Sophomore goalkeeper Valentina Bonaiuto was voted Defensive Player of the Year, and Aliyah Armijo took home Rookie of the Year. Caldwell University's Nate Guagliardi was voted Coach of the Year.
Ramafifi, a sophomore from Gaborone, Botswana scored at a torrid pace to lead all of Division II in goals per game at 1.53 and was third in the nation in goals scored at 26. Ramafifi added 11 assists throughout the year to finish second in the nation in total points with 63, which led the nation at 3.71 points per game. For her efforts, Ramafifi was selected as First-Team All-Atlantic Region.
Bonaiuto, a fellow sophomore from Pichincha, Equador was a rock in goal for Salem University, starting all 17 games for the Tigers logging nearly 1400 minutes in goal. Bonaiuto surrendered only 19 goals all year, finishing the season with a 1.22 goals against average. She made 56 saves, posting four shutouts. Her honors this season includes an ECAC Defensive Player of the Month award.
Armijo, a freshman from Fort Mohave, AZ was ever present in the line-up for the Tigers as she went on to start 15 of 16 game she played in this season. Playing alongside Ramafifi, the rookie put home eight goals, three of them being game winners. She tacked on four assists to finish the year with 20 points. For her efforts this season Armijo collected an ECAC Rookie of the Month award.
Coach Guagliardi led the Caldwell University Cougars to a 12-7-1 record in 2018. After finishing fourth in the regular season, he guided the Cougars to their second conference championship in three seasons by defeating the #5, #1 and #3 seeds in the tournament. This 12-win season gives Guagliardi double digits wins in three of the last four seasons and is tied for the third most victories in program history.
2018 ECAC Division III Women's Soccer Awards and All-ECAC Team
Offensive Player of the Year
Thuto Ramafifi - Salem University, So., F
Defensive Player of the Year
Valentina Bonaiuto - Salem University, So., GK
Rookie of the Year
Aliyah Armijo - Salem University, Fr., F
Coach of the Year
Nate Guagliardi - Caldwell University
All-ECAC Team
Kerianne Scorce - Adelphi University, Jr., F
Thuto Ramafifi - Salem University, So., F
Meghan Grundhauser - Caldwell University, Jr., F
Madison Baxter - West Chester University, Jr., F
Jenny Bail - West Chester University, Jr., M
Teaghan Darling - Caldwell University, So., M
Nikki Bermudez - New York Institute of Technology, So., D
Julia Kirkpatrick - West Chester University, Sr., D
Paula Nunez Escobar - Southern Connecticut State University, So., D
Jess Hawley - New York Institute of Technology, Sr., D
Valentina Bonaiuto - Salem University, So., GK
ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation's largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men's and women's sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
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