The Hofstra Women's Soccer team had four players honored on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Northeast Region team, it was announced this week.
Sophomore defender Sue Weber (Islip, NY/Islip HS - pictured) was named first-team All-Northeast Region and was subsequently chosen to the All-America third team, making her the first All-American in Hofstra Women's Soccer history. Sophomore defender Marie Curtin (Kilmallock, Ireland) was named second-team All-Northeast, along with freshman midfielder Edel Malone (Ennis, Ireland), while senior goalkeeper Becky Wachsberger (East Meadow, NY/East Meadow HS) was named to the third team.
The four honorees were the most that the Hofstra Women's Soccer team has ever had in a single season. The Pride finished the 2005 campaign with a 14-4-3 record and captured its first-ever conference championship with a 1-0 win over Virginia Commonwealth. That win earned the Pride its first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in the 13-year history of the program.
Weber and Curtin played side-by-side at the center back positions, helping the Pride allow only 0.69 goals per game. Hofstra also allowed only three goals in 11 conference games this fall and set a school record for shutouts in a season with 11. Curtin was a repeat selection after earning first-team All-Region honors last fall. She and Weber were also both named to the Soccer Buzz Magazine freshman All-America team last year, with Curtin earning second team honors at Hofstra and Weber earning third team honors at Georgia before transferring to Hofstra in August.
Wachsberger finished her fourth season as the Pride's starting goalkeeper, shattering every career record in the school's history. She ended her career with 36 shutouts, 26 more than any previous Hofstra goalie, and allowed less than a goal per game in all four seasons. She was a three-time All-Northeast Region selection, including a pair of second-team honors as a sophomore and junior. Her career goals against average was only 0.67, including a career-best 0.45 in 2003, when she ranked third in the nation.
Malone, meanwhile, had an instant impact on the Hofstra offense from her center midfield position, tallying eight goals and five assists, including the game-winning goal in the CAA Championship against Virginia Commonwealth. Malone was named the CAA Rookie of the Year, one year after Curtin was named the 2004 CAA Rookie of the Year, while Weber earned the CAA Defensive Player of the Year Award.
All four of the Pride's All-NSCAA Northeast Region selections were also named first-team All-CAA this fall.
