Landmark Women's Soccer Earns Six All-Region Nods

MADISON, N.J. - A strong year for the Landmark women's soccer teams has helped the conference place six players on the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association/Subaru Performance All-Mid Atlantic Region Women's Soccer Team. The six All-Region choices ties for the most the Landmark has earned in its first four seasons.

Landmark honorees earned one first-team selection, two spots on the second team and one on the third team. The University of Scranton, which claimed the Landmark title, had four of the six selections as Chelsea Paskman was a first team selection, Samantha Russo was chosen for the second team, and Caitlin Byrne and Syndey Parker each earned third-team honors. Drew University's Allison McCord was honored on the second team following her senior year, and fellow senior Sisliey Pumilia of Goucher College picked up a third-team honor. The All-Region Team is made up of three 13-player teams from eight regions.

Paskman was named to the Landmark Conference all-Academic team yesterday for the second straight season. She is a three-time major award recipient from the conference on the soccer field, earning the league's rookie of the year award in 2007 and offensive player of the year in 2009 and 2010, along with being a first-team all-conference selection all four seasons. This past fall Paskman finished with seven goals and five assists for 19 total points. Last fall, she became the eighth player in Scranton history to earn all-America honors by the NSCAA, landing a spot on the second team.

Russo put up eye-opening statistics this past season. She was voted the Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year and a first-team all-conference selection by the league's head coaches after leading the Royals in goals (9), match-winning goals (5), assists (10, and total points (28). Her 28 total points were the most by a Scranton player since third-team all-American Sara Suchoski tallied 54 (20 goals, 14 assists) in 2003.

McCord proved to be a mainstay in Head Coach Christa Racine's back line in all four years in Madison. In 2010 she started 23 games on defense and started all but two of the 70 games she played in during her career. Earlier in the season she went on the offensive, scoring her first career goal in a 2-1 win over Allvernia. She finished the season with a goal and two assists. Her assist against Bard in the first round of the ECAC Tournament, was part of the game's only goal helping the Rangers advance to the semifinals. McCord led a defense that ranked second in the Landmark conference with 1.03 goals against average and team that allowed only one goal in the three games of the ECAC Tournament.

Parker and Byrne were an instrumental part of a Royal defensive unit that posted 14 shutouts, the fourth most in Scranton history. A two-time all-Landmark Conference selection (2nd team in 2009, 1st team in 2010), Parker anchored a backline that allowed only 4.5 shots on goal per match.

Byrne was named the 2010 Landmark Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team selection after making 84 saves and allowing only 12 goals in 20 matches. She finished her career with a goals against average of 0.83 and had 252 saves, a save percentage of .834, and 24 shutouts. Byrne, a 2009 second-team all-Landmark Conference selection, is second in shutouts and third in goals against average, saves and fewest goals allowed (50) in Scranton history.

Pumilia becomes only the second female soccer player from Goucher to earn all-region honors. In 2001, Cara Peckens was a third-team selection at goalkeeper on the Division III All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team. Pumilia, who completed her four seasons as one of the all-time leading scorers in the history of Goucher's women's soccer program, had previously been named a first-team midfielder on the 2010 All-Landmark Conference Women's Soccer Team. Including the seven goals and three assists she contributed while starting all 16 games this season, she finished her career ranked second all-time in goals (39) and points (93) and fourth in assists (15).

The six All-Region selections matches the six the Landmark placed on the 2007 All-Region Teams, its first year of competition. This season women's soccer teams earned the first NCAA victory in conference history and had anothr team claim an ECAC Postseason Championship.

Story provided by Drew, Goucher & Scranton Sports Information