RSC WOMEN'S SOCCER TEAM REWARDED WITH SEVERAL EMPIRE 8 ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Hilton, NY — Russell Sage College women's soccer team won the program's very first Empire 8 Championship title on Saturday night as they defeated Utica College, 2-1. One the heels of the championship title, the Gators were honored with seven Empire 8 Women's Soccer All-Conference selections. Headlining the selections, RSC's rookie forward Marissa Key (Monroe, NY/Monroe-Woodbury) was named the Rookie of the Year.
Named to the First Team for the Gators were junior forward Hallie Klosterman (Modena, NY/Wallkill), junior forward Natalie Ricci (Cohoes, NY/Cohoes), junior midfielder Angela Gonzalez (Hoosick Falls, NY/Hoosick Falls Central), and senior defender Samantha Schmidt (Schenectady, NY/Mohonasen). Senior midfielder Lydia Malkiewicz (Schenectady, NY/Colonie Central) earned a spot on the Second Team, while rookie Sara Kennerson (Enfield, CT/Enfield) earned a spot on the Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year Team.
Key, who was a starter in all seven games this spring, added two assists and helped the team to their first E8 championship.
Klosterman, who was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament for her outstanding performance over the course of the tournament, was a First Team selection. She had two goals, a game-winner and an assist in the team's semifinals victory over Alfred University. She finished the season with five goals, and had two game-winning goals with an assist. On her career, Klosterman has 32 points on 11 goals with 10 assists. She ranks 17th in career assists in 41 matches played.
Ricci, who earned a selection this spring as the Empire 8 Women's Soccer Player of the Week, caps her second season with the team having added four goals, including one game-winner. She boasts 33 career points on 14 goals with five assists in just 19 games played.
Gonzalez added a pair of assists this year and was a started for the Gators this season. She now has three goals and five assists during her Gators career having played in 44 games.
Schmidt anchored the team's defense this year and added one assist as the Gators had three shutouts and held their opposition to a1.13 goals against average. On her career, Schmidt played in 59 games with one goal and six assists.
Malkiewicz added four points this season and was named to the Second Team at the midfield. She assisted on the team's first goal in the Empire 8 title match. Over her career, she appeared in 60 matches with 22 points. She added seven goals with eight assists and had a pair of game-winning goals.
One member of each team was named that institution's representative on the 2021 E8 Spring Women's Soccer Sportswoman of the Year Team. The Empire 8 Conference emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete's experience in conjunction with an institution's educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen. Named to the team from RSC was rookie Sara Kennerson, who appeared in three matches but had her season cut short due to an injury.
