Women’s Soccer Student-Athletes Honored with America East Awards

BOSTON – The UMass Lowell women's soccer program had five student-athletes earn America East postseason awards, the league office announced Wednesday.

Junior Nuala Rodgers (Dedham, Mass.), sophomores Nora Belin (Stockholm, Sweden) and Nina Hertz-Saebbö and freshmen Elsa Freeman (Portland, Maine) and Märta Sundberg (Stockholm, Sweden) were all selected for conference honors.

Rodgers, Belin and Hertz-Saebbö were named to the All-America East Second Team. Meanwhile, Freeman and Sundberg secured spots on the America East All-Rookie squad. Rodgers also earned an All-Academic selection.

"I'm proud of our award winners and for their contributions to the team," said Head Coach Mira Novak. "While we didn't achieve what we wanted as a team, these individuals have stepped up in their respective categories and are being rightfully rewarded. There are a few more who have had outstanding seasons, so I hope it keeps them hungry for next year to earn league-wide recognition."

Starting off, Rodgers was named to the All-America East Second Team and All-Academic Team. The midfielder played in every match this season and assisted game-winning goals against UMBC and NJIT. Rodgers, who also served as a team captain, holds a 4.0 GPA as an environmental science major.

Although Belin led the America East with nine assists and finished second with 17 points, she earned a Second Team selection. The forward set UMass Lowell's Division I single-season assist record, tacking on four goals to go with it. Her 0.56 assists per match rank 11th in the nation, and her assist total is 15th in the country.

Joining Rodgers and Belin on the All-America East Second team is Hertz-Saebbö, who finished in a tie for second in the conference with seven goals. Despite missing time early in the season due to injury, the forward bounced back and led America East with 1.23 points per match. She also became the fastest River Hawk in the program's DI history to reach six goals in a season.

Freeman finished the season on a tear, boosting her to a spot on the All-Rookie team. The midfielder scored her first points of the season with an assist against UMBC on October 18 and followed it up with a goal in two straight matches. She netted an 84th-minute equalizer against New Hampshire and scored the game-winner at NJIT.

Finally, Sundberg earned a spot alongside Freeman on the All-Rookie team after a consistent season on the back line. She logged 1,213 minutes, the most by a River Hawk freshman since Dunja Mostarac had 1,634 in 2018. Sundberg contributed to five shutouts for UMass Lowell as the River Hawks recorded five or more for the third straight season.

Players Mentioned

Nora Belin

Elsa Freeman

Dunja Mostarac

Nuala Rodgers

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