Nov. 3, 2011
Freshman forward Brittany Russo (Danvers, Mass.) was named the Rookie of the Year and led six UMass Lowell women’s soccer players to all-conference honors as the Northeast-10 Conference announced its major award winners this afternoon.
Russo was also named to the NE-10 First Team alongside senior midfielder Maddy Bissaillon (Merrimac, Mass.) and to the All-Rookie Team with freshman goalkeeper Jane Hatzkonstantis (Tewksbury, Mass.), while senior Hannah Merullo (Wakefield, Mass.) and junior Taylor Hartmann (Feeding Hills, Mass.) were cited to the Second Team.
The honors mark the return to the NE-10 all-conference teams for Merullo, Bissaillon, and Hartmann. Merullo was a Second Team selection last season while Bissaillon was an All-Rookie choice as a freshman (2008) and a First Team standout as a sophomore (2009).
Hartmann was an All-Rookie Team selection in 2009 as a forward.
UMass Lowell suffered a 2-1 loss to Southern New Hampshire Tuesday in the NE-10 Tournament quarterfinal. With an 11-5-2 record (10-3-2 NE-10/third), the River Hawks await NCAA Tournament pairings, to be announced Monday.
Should UMass Lowell make the NCAA Tournament and win its first round match, it will match the school record for victories in a season.
With nine goals and one assist this season, Russo emerged among the top scorers in the NE-10 – she ranks sixth – and has amassed the highest amount in a single season for UMass Lowell since former standout Jody Graham scored 12 in 2004.
“We’re very proud and happy for Brittany,” said head coach Elie Monteiro. “She has worked hard all season. She is very driven, very coachable and she is going to get better as she figures out how to use her entire skill set.”
Joining Russo on the First Team was Bissaillon, who ranks seventh among NE-10 assist leaders with six along with two goals. Bissaillion has fed Russo for three goals this season and was at her best when she assisted on Merullo’s two goals in UMass Lowell’s pivotal 3-1 victory over Southern Connecticut on Oct. 18.
Merullo, a central defender, and Hartmann, a right back, have anchored UMass Lowell’s defense which ranks fourth among NE-10 schools in goals against average (0.75) and has compiled eight shutouts this season.
Hatzikonstantis, who has made eight appearances this season, has benefitted tremendously behind the play of Merullo and Hartmann. Hatzikonstantis has maintained a 0.38 goals against average and didn’t concede a goal until her seventh match of the season (a 2-1 win over Saint Anselm), a string of 585 scoreless minutes.
