STANDISH, ME – The 2013 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Field Hockey postseason honors have been released and four Saint Joseph's College players have earned acclaim.
Junior forward Effie Drew (Portland, Maine) and freshman goalkeeper Emma Astbury (Bridgewater, Vt.) have collected First Team All-NAC honors while senior midfielders Rachelle Messuri (Atkinson, N.H.) and Carley Denis (Lewiston, Maine) have claimed Second Team mention.
Drew, a two-time NAC Player of the Week honoree, leads the Monks in goals (10) and points (23) this fall. The junior transfer is tied for the team-lead with three game-winners and has started all 18 games this season.
Astbury, a two-time NAC Rookie of the Week selection, has started all 18 games for the Monks this fall and sports a 0.80 goals against average along with a .725 save percentage as a freshman keeper. She has made 37 stops with a 15-3 record and eight shutouts this fall and leads the conference in goals against average and shutouts as a rookie.
Messuri receives Second Team All-NAC honors for the second-consecutive season and currently leads the Monks in assists (7), shots (66) and shots on goal (51) and is tied for the squad-lead in winners (3). A team captain, she is second on the team in points (21) and third in goals (7) and has tallied 21 goals, 19 assists and seven game-clinchers in 73 career contests at Saint Joseph's.
Denis collects All-Conference accolades for the first time after recording three goals and four assists for 10 total points this fall. An intelligent all-around contributor and team captain, Denis has also produced three winning markers while serving as one of the Monks' primary penalty corner injectors this fall. In 73 career contests, she has posted nine goals and eight assists for 26 points over four seasons.
Saint Joseph's (15-3, 7-2 NAC), the #2 seed in the 2013 NAC Tournament, defeated #7 Lasell College, 4-1, in a quarterfinal matchup on Saturday and edged #3 Husson University, 2-1, in semifinal action earlier today. The semifinal victory means the Monks will participate in the NAC Championship for the fourth time in the last six years, as Saint Joseph's will face top-seeded Castleton State College in the title game in Vermont on Saturday at 4:30 PM.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
