Stephanie Croke Repeats As A-10 Midfielder of the Year

AMHERST, Mass. – Junior midfielder Stephanie Croke repeated as the Atlantic 10 Midfielder of the Year and Angela McMahon was named Co-Coach of the Year as announced by the league on Wednesday. All told, six UMass players earned all-conference nods including three first team selections.

Joining Croke on the first team was redshirt senior attack Kiley Anderson and junior attack Kaitlyn Cerasi. Sophomore defender Ally Murphy earned a spot on the second team, while Amy Moreau and Gina Carroll were named to the A-10 All-Rookie Team.

Earning A-10 Midfielder of the Year for the second straight year, Croke has posted career-high totals in goals (40), points (63), draw controls (43) and caused turnovers (13) as a junior. The third-leading scorer on the team, she also ranks 2^nd in goals scored and third in draw controls and caused turnovers. Croke's honor marks the fifth consecutive year UMass has had a player named the midfielder of the year with Hannah Murphy earning the honor from 2015-17.

Anderson and Cerasi formed a potent one-two punch on the Minutewomen's attack. Anderson led the Atlantic 10 during the regular season with a team-high 56 goals to go alongside her 87 draw controls. Cerasi is the top point scorer for the Minutewomen with 38 goals and 34 assists.

Murphy, who was selected to the U.S. Under-19 National Training Team during the fall, transitioned to a full-time starter on defense this year after playing primarily as a midfielder during her freshman year. The sophomore led UMass with a career-best 33 groundballs and ranked third on the team with 12 caused turnovers.

Moreau and Carroll made instant impacts on the UMass lineup this season as freshmen.

Carroll was called into a starting role during the non-conference schedule after returning goalie Lauren Hiller was injured during the preseason. The Ellington, Conn., native posted a 6-3 overall record with a 13.59 goals-against-average and 77 total saves. Moreau transitioned to defense after a heralded career offensively in high school. She moved into the starting line-up during the Atlantic 10 schedule and has posted 14 groundballs and seven draw controls this year.

McMahon's honor as co-coach of the year marked the seventh time in her nine years at UMass that she has been honored by the league. She has led the Minutewomen to seven Atlantic 10 Championship titles and seven berths to the NCAA Tournament. Her 14 wins this season improves her record in Amherst to 156-26 which stands as the second-most wins for any program nationally over that span.

The Minutewomen will open the 2019 Atlantic 10 Championship tournament hosted by George Mason on Friday, April 26 in the semifinals against the winner of the quarterfinal match-up between Saint Joseph's and VCU. UMass won the regular-season title after going undefeated in league play for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Kiley Anderson

Gina Carroll

Kaitlyn Cerasi

Stephanie Croke

Lauren Hiller

Amy Moreau

Ally Murphy

Hannah Murphy

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics