PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Little East Conference (LEC) announced its annual women’s soccer postseason awards Wednesday, following a vote of the league’s nine head coaches. 2023 LEC Champion University of Southern Maine and conference runner-up Western Connecticut State University each had a pair of major award recipients, while Rhode Island College was recognized as 2023 Coaching Staff of the Year.
Southern Maine senior back Mia Sargent repeated as the LEC Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts leading the top defensive group in the conference; USM has allowed just 13 goals this season, posting a 0.65 goals against average while recording a LEC-best 13 clean sheets. She is the fourth repeat winner in the award’s history.
Huskies’ senior keeper Breanna Atwood repeated as the LEC Goalkeeper of the Year, and remains the only winner of the award in its two-year history. She is 15-1-4 so far this season, posting a 0.57 goals against average and .890 save percentage while totaling 89 stops and 11 shutouts. She leads the LEC in goals against average and shutouts, and is second in saves and save percentage.
WestConn senior forward Myah Croze was named the LEC Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, the first coming in 2021, after leading the conference in scoring with 19 goals and 41 total points, helping lead the Wolves to a second-place finish in the regular season standings and LEC tournament. She is the fourth player in the award’s history to garner the accolade in multiple seasons.
Wolves’ sophomore midfielder Sophia Onek, which is in her first collegiate season, was named the 2023 LEC Rookie of the Year after starting in 16 of her 20 games played, totaling six goals and two assists for 14 points. She is the 10th WestConn player to be named the LEC Rookie of the Year, and is the fourth recipient of the award in the last five seasons.
Rhode Island College’s coaching staff comprised of second-year head coach Phil Pincince and assistant Luis Faria were voted the 2023 Coaching Staff of the Year by their peers after guiding the Anchorwomen to postseason play for the first time since 2017. RIC earned the No. 5 Seed in the LEC tournament with a league mark of 3-3-2 for 11 points, and posted an overall record of 7-8-3 following their 2-1 opening round setback at fourth-seeded UMass Boston.
The complete list of this year’s LEC award recipients is below.
| Offensive Player of the Year |
Myah Croze |
Western Connecticut |
| Defensive Player of the Year |
Mia Sargent |
Southern Maine |
| Goalkeeper of the Year |
Breanna Atwood |
Southern Maine |
| Rookie of the Year |
Sophia Onek |
Western Connecticut |
| Coaching Staff of the Year |
Rhode Island College |
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| First Team All-LEC |
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| Forward |
Suzana Imetovski |
Western Connecticut |
| Forward |
Catriona Gould |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Kaylee Haynes |
UMass Boston |
| Midfield |
Myah Croze |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Julia McKenna |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Andrea Rivera |
UMass Boston |
| Midfield |
Marissa Ruzzano |
Rhode Island College |
| Defense |
Mia Sargent |
Southern Maine |
| Defense |
Julia DePalma |
Western Connecticut |
| Defense |
Alexa Skinner |
Keene State |
| Defense |
Caleigh Sullivan |
UMass Boston |
| Goalkeeper |
Breanna Atwood |
Southern Maine |
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| Second Team All-LEC |
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| Forward |
Tayla Salome |
Rhode Island College |
| Forward |
Riley Reitchel |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Devine Riley |
Keene State |
| Midfield |
Sophia Onek |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Alexis Billings |
VTSU Castleton |
| Midfield |
Elizabeth Kopicko |
Keene State |
| Midfield |
Elizabeth Tschudin |
Keene State |
| Defense |
Grace Muller |
Eastern Connecticut |
| Defense |
Sarah Lowell |
Southern Maine |
| Defense |
Karen Johnson-Hoffman |
Rhode Island College |
| Defense |
Giuliana Stolfi |
Keene State |
| Goalkeeper |
Sonia Moritz |
Keene State |
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| Third Team All-LEC |
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| Forward |
Molly Bellmore |
Plymouth State |
| Forward |
Eliza Roy |
Southern Maine |
| Forward |
Kyla Norton |
Western Connecticut |
| Midfield |
Kiki Huntress |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Nevaeh Petruzzi |
Plymouth State |
| Midfield |
Cierra Hill |
Southern Maine |
| Midfield |
Elia Velez |
UMass Boston |
| Defense |
Hannah Daly |
Western Connecticut |
| Defense |
Kristina O'Neil |
VTSU Castleton |
| Defense |
Anna Balkus |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Defense |
Veronica Bock |
UMass Dartmouth |
| Defense |
Kaylee Tackson |
Western Connecticut |
| Goalkeeper |
Isabella O'Connell |
UMass Boston |