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2017 All-East Conference Awards

07/27/2017, 9:30pm EDT
By Admin

LI awarded top coach & player honors; Copa’s Raber top defender

METUCHEN, NJ - Not only did United Women’s Soccer (UWS) expand into the Midwest this past season, but the East Conference also grew from six to eight teams for the 2017 campaign. And like the Midwest, said expansion allowed the league office to compile First & Second All-Conference Teams for end-of-season honors. New Jersey were the regular season champions in the conference but Long Island would one-up them in the East Final for the automatic berth into the UWS National Championship. Both sides were recognized when it came to the top individual honors awarded this season.

Coach Of The Year
ADAM WHITEHEAD (Long Island Rough Riders)

Four years after the conclusion of his stellar playing career for the Binghamton University Bearcats, Whitehead was named the new Head Coach of the Long Island Rough Riders prior to the 2017 season. Long Island had a solid 2016 season in the UWS East but under Whitehead’s tutelage, the team won their first game of the 2017 campaign and the long-time women’s soccer organization went on to take the next step up the pro-am ladder. A second-place finish during the regular season gave Whitehead’s team a shot at breaking New Jersey’s unbeaten streak at home in the 2017 East Conference Final. Long Island broke down a stingy Copa defense in a 5-1 win that sent them to the UWS National Championship.

Player Of The Year
KIMBERLY MARRA (Long Island Rough Riders)

Marra was the two-way difference make for the Long Island Rough Riders this past season, playing in the central midfield as both a playmaker and a destroyer while also spending time in the defense. The former Iona Gael (started in 54 of 68 career games) captained the Rough Riders in most of her 10 appearances in 2017 and finished fourth in team scoring (three goals, assist). Lindsay was second in minutes played (810) and turned out to be Head Coach Adam Whitehead’s most consistent player. She was named to the UWS Team of the Week on three occasions - the last time in Week X when Marra scored three goals in two wins to end the season and leap-frog New England into second place and into the postseason.

Defensive Player Of The Year
REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)

Raber returned for her second season with New Jersey Copa FC and led the East’s best defense to a stingy seven goals allowed in 10 conference games. New Jersey won their second straight regular season title and Rebecca once again led the team in minutes played - 900 in 2017 (1756 in two seasons) - while also adding two assists. Her 900 minutes played this past campaign was tied with nine other players for tops in all of UWS. Raber was named to the UWS Team of the Week on two occasions, the last time in Week VII when NJCFC notched two wins and outs-cored the opposition by a 6-1 margin. This past offseason, Raber scored the game-winning goal for Durham University in England to win the National Championship.

2017 All-East Conference First Team

F FURTUNA VELAJ (New York Surf)
F CARISSIMA CUTRONA (Western New York Flash)
F HALEY CRAWFORD (Lancaster Inferno)
MF BRENNA BROWN (New England Mutiny)
MF JACKIE BRUNO (New Jersey Copa FC)
MF KIMBERLY MARRA (Long Island Rough Riders)
D JENNIFER CAFFERKY (New England Mutiny)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TAYLOR GROTH (Long Island Rough Riders)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
GK CAITIE BRODERICK (Rochester Lady Lancers)

2017 All-East Conference Second Team

F JEANINE NUNEZ (New Jersey Copa FC)
F KATE HOWARTH (New England Mutiny)
F ERICA MURPHY (New York Surf)
F ERICA MODINA (Long Island Rough Riders)
MF TESA MCKIBBEN (Lancaster Inferno)
MF ALEXA SCHNEIDER (Long Island Rough Riders)
D SYDNEY CUMMINGS (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D JENNY BITZER (New Jersey Copa FC)
GK SIERRA BONHAM (New York Magic)

Iron Women Of The Year (most minutes played)

D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
D DYLAN PATTERSON (Rochester Lady Lancers)

About United Women’s Soccer (UWS): UWS is a national women’s soccer league sanctioned by U.S. Soccer through the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA). UWS is a professionally operated league created for teams that meet high minimum standards. The season runs from May until the end of July, culminating in a National Championship match. The UWS player pool is comprised of college players, aspiring & former professionals and international stars. You can follow UWS on social media on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Media can contact UWS Director of Communications Jorma Kansanen by e-mail at UWSPress@gmail.com. You can visit the league’s official website at UWSSoccer.com. Interested team applicants can contact League Commissioner Joe Ferrara, Jr. by e-mail at Joe@UWSSoccer.com.

Tag(s): News |   Lancaster Inferno  LI Rough Riders  New England Mutiny  New Jersey Copa FC  Western NY Flash  New York Surf  Flower City 1872