SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- University of New England women's soccer head coach Heather Davis has been named the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Coach of the Year in voting done by her peers, and a total of seven players have been selected all-CCC. The all-conference team, along with the major award recipients, was announced this morning by CCC Commissioner Gregg Kaye.

Receiving first-team recognition are senior forward Katie Caron (Winslow, Maine), sophomore midifielder Katy Marshall (Eliot, Maine), junior back Emily Lodge (Lyman, Maine), and senior goalkeeper Jess Woodworth (Concord, N.H.). Landing a spot on the on the second team is senior back Jesalyn Dvorak (Windsor, Conn.), while senior forward Alice Read (Auburn, Maine) and junior midfielder Nicole Faircloth (Westfield, Mass.) earned honorable mention nods.

Davis and the Nor'easters finished the conference regular-season unbeaten at 8-0-1 and in the top position in the standings for the first time since 2000. Big Blue shared the league lead in goals scored during CCC play (20) and scoring margin (+1.78), and topped the group with 19 assists. In her second season at the helm, UNE picked up wins over conference rivals Endicott and Roger Williams -- making it just the second time in the last 12 meetings against the Gulls, and the second time in eight versus the Hawks.

Caron, back from an honorable mention selection in 2010, led the league in assists (6) and finished the CCC season third in points (14). Marshall controlled play in the middle of the field for UNE, tallying a pair of goals and assists during CCC action, including a beautifully bent-in corner kick score during the regular-season finale against Eastern Nazarene.

Lodge helped anchor the back line in front of Woodworth with Dvorak (2010 Honorable Mention) -- part of a unit that surrendered an average of just 5.2 shots-on-goal per game in league contests. Together with Woodworth, who received a first-team selection for the second straight year, the UNE defense allowed a mere four goals (and never more than one in a game) during the nine matches. Woodworth topped the CCC goalies on the season with five shutouts and a save percentage of .915, while ranking second in goals against average, at 0.43.

Read had two goals in conference games and ranked in a tie for fifth in the CCC assists category with three. Faircloth was another mainstay in the midfield, and drove a long free kick to set-up Marshall (for the game-tying goal in an late-season, come-from-behind win over Western New England) for her lone point during the league slate.

Big Blue takes on the Golden Bears in the opening round of the CCC Championship, in No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup on Saturday.


For a complete listing of all the major award winners and all-conference teams, click HERE.