Oct. 27, 2011
Complete Northeast-10 Release
Enjoy a career-year, senior Kayla Littig (Carver, Mass.) was named the Northeast-10 Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Year, announced by the conference office on Thursday.
The River Hawks were also well-represented on the All-Conference squads, headlined by First Team selections Littig, senior Annie Hansbury (Plaistow, N.H.) and sophomore Rachel McCarthy (Reading, Mass.). Junior defender Sarah Wilcox (Old Town, Maine) earned a spot on the Second Team, while freshmen Carrie Dresser (Plaistow, N.H.) and Bianca Jones (Watertown, Mass.) were placed on the All-Rookie Team.
Kayla Littig, Defensive Player of the Year
Littig set new career-highs across the board with nine goals, two assists and 20 points--fourth most on the team. Among her tallies, Littig netted three game-winning goals.
In addition to the scoring punch, she anchored UMass Lowell's top-notch defense that allowed 21 total goals for a 1.13 goals against average.
"For the past couple of years she's been overshadowed by a couple strong players, so we're happy that the conference recognized Kayla for her efforts," said head coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "She has a tremendous impact on our team because she's such a great two-way player."
A two-time NE-10 Defensive Player of the Week, Littig's defensive tenacity often stemmed opponents' attacks before they started--UMass Lowell allowed a league-best 4.5 shots on goal per game. The River Hawks also held opponents to a paltry average of 6.9 penalty corners.
Among her highlights, Littig recorded her first career multi-goal game on Oct. 22, UMass Lowell's Senior Day, bookending her final regular season home match with a pair of tallies. She also carried a career-best five-game goal streak from Sept. 23 to Oct. 4.
"In the last game against AIC, she stepped up and showed how multi-dimensional she really is," added Hlebichuk.
All-Conference Teams
In addition to Littig, Hansbury was named to the NE-10 First Team, earning All-Conference honors for the second consecutive season. Despite being sidelined with a mid-season injury, Hansbury was an important piece of the River Hawks' season as the club went 9-1 with her in the lineup.
Even she missed eight games, Hansbury tied for fifth among all NE-10 players with eight assists and leads all active River Hawks with 23 career helpers.
"I would say in the first ten games, Annie established herself as one of the best players in the league," said Hlebichuk. "Losing her was difficult, but I'm glad the conference recognized just how good she was this season."
After landing on the All-Rookie Team in 2010, McCarthy took her place amongst the league's elite this year en route to a First Team selection. She led the conference in nearly every offensive category: ranking first in points (49), goals (19) and assists (11) and third in game-winning goals (4).
The two-time conference Player of the Week proved unstoppable at times, highlighted by a six game stretch from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4 when McCarthy scored 34 points on 14 goals and six assists. Only five other NE-10 players had more points all season than McCarthy scored in those six matches.
Another key component to the River Hawks' defense, Wilcox earned her debut spot on the All-Conference Second Team. Known primarily for her staunch defense, the Maine native set new career-highs with three goals and two assists for eight points. With a knack for timely scoring, two of her tallies proved to be game-winners.
Wilcox's relentless effort is what turned heads this season, perhaps epitomized no clearer than a game-saving play she made on Sept. 4 against ninth-ranked Millersville. Locked in a 3-3 tie with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, a Marauder got free on a breakaway and Wilcox closed a 10-foot gap over the length of the field to knock the ball loose inside the circle and stymie the potential game-winning shot. UMass Lowell went on to win 4-3 in a shootout for its first win of the season.
Due to a variety of injuries over the course of the campaign, UMass Lowell handed several freshmen primary roles, and Dresser and Jones capitalized with selections to the All-Rookie Team.
"With our entire freshmen class we see a lot of potential growth," said Hlebichuk. "Carrie has done an outstanding job shutting down some of the league's top offensive threats and Bianca has created numerous offensive opportunities at the goal mouth. I look for both of them to contribute as we move into the playoffs."
Dresser emerged as a constant in the lineup, starting the final five games of the season. The defender didn't register a point, but made a defensive save in the 4-0 shutout of then-No.10 American International on Senior Day.
Jones had a strong debut for the River Hawks, netting a goal and assist in 17 games with four starts. A move to the forward position paid off as Jones registered five shots on goal in each of the last two matches, creating rebound opportunities for her teammates.
The River Hawks have earned the two-seed in the NE-10 Field Hockey Championship this weekend in North Andover, MA. UMass Lowell receives a bye into the semifinals and will play third-seed Franklin Pierce on Friday at 4 p.m.
Visit Tournament Central for more information on the 2011 NE-10 Field Hockey Championship, including ticket information, results and a schedule of events.
