2018 ASUN Conference Women's Soccer Postseason Honors & Awards
2018 ASUN ALL-CONFERENCE VIDEO
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NEWARK, NJ—Three NJIT women's soccer players were selected to the 2018 ASUN All-Conference team, headed by Freshman of the Year
Fiona Wright and Coach of the Year
Ally Nick, the league office announced at the women's soccer awards banquet on the campus of NJIT.
In addition to Nick and Wright, senior midfielder
Arianna Gerber was selected to the 11-person first-team, which included Wright. Sophomore defender
Nicole Loehle was named to the second-team while Wright was selected to the All-Freshman team.
Coach of the Year – Ally Nick
In her third season at the helm of the Highlanders, Nick recorded a program-record 11 victories, nine shutouts, placed second in the regular season, earning the No. 2 seed in the programs first postseason appearance in the ASUN since joining the league in 2015-16.
NJIT, which started off the season with a 1-0 loss at five-time defending MAAC champions Monmouth, went 4-0-1 over the next five contests. NJIT closed out the regular season with a 5-1-1 mark, which included wins over both Florida Gulf Coast and Kennesaw State in the regular season. Both wins marked the first time the Highlanders defeated the Owls and Eagles.
ASUN Freshman of the Year | First-Team | All-Freshman Team – Fiona Wright
Wright, from Ajax, Ontario, Canada, has registered 11 goals, more than any first-year player for the Highlanders and just one off the overall mark in program history as a Division I team. She ranks second among D-I freshman scorers and tied for 25
th in the nation.
Wright added to her 2018 accolades, earning Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division I Women's Soccer Rookie of the Year. In addition to ECAC Rookie of the Year honors, Wright became the first female Highlander to be recognized on an All-Region team since the Highlanders began competing at the Division I level. The midfielder from Ajax, Ontario, Canada, was one of three freshman named to the second-team at the end of November.
Her 11 career goals rank one-shy the NJIT Division I record (12) held by
Kori Washington (2007-10) and two-shy the NJIT all-time single-season record (13) held by Cathy Wasko '01.
The 5-foot-9 center midfielder, scored a pair of goals in three matches this season (vs. Fairfield, at Liberty and vs. Kennesaw State) and ranked in the top 100 freshman sited by
TopDrawerSoccer.com.
Wright ranks second in the league in total goals (11), fourth in points (22) and fourth in total shots (49).
ASUN First-Team All-Conference – Arianna Gerber
The Highlanders co-captain and team leader on and off the field, bounced back in 2018 after missing the last seven matches in 2017 due to injury.
Gerber was recognized on the 2018 ASUN Conference Fall Winners for Life team and selected to the 2018 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Scholar All-East Region Team. Gerber owns a 3.81 cumulative GPA working towards her bachelor's degree in biology and on schedule to graduate in May with magna cum laude.
Her leadership and play were instrumental in leading NJIT to its best-ever season with 11 victories in 2018.
Gerber, an ASUN first-team all-Conference honoree, finished her playing career tied for most assists (18) in NJIT program history.
Gerber appeared in all 18 matches, recording one goal and six assists. The lone goal on the season for Gerber was a game-winner, coming in the 89th minute against Temple, in the Highlanders 1-0 victory. Her six assists in a single season ranks first in the Division I era (tying her own record – 6 assists in 2016). The six assists also ranks tied for fifth in the ASUN.
She has combined for five goals, 15 assists and 31 points for her career. Her 15 assists ranks the senior tied for first all-time at NJIT.
ASUN Second-Team All-Conference – Nicole Loehle
Nicole Loehle, the Highlander sophomore on the backline, started 17 matches, notching two goals and four points.
Loehle scored the game-winning penalty kick in NJIT's 1-0 victory at North Florida and scored the lone goal in the Highlanders 1-0 victory over FGCU for the first all-time win over the Eagles.
NJIT held opponents to a 1.03 goals against average and combined for nine shutouts as a team.
