SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (November 6, 2018) – As the SUNY Delhi women's soccer team celebrated recently completing a landmark 11-4 season, the Broncos added more accomplishments Tuesday after locking up three of the ACAA's major awards. Senior Katie Herba (Perth, NY / Broadalbin-Perth) was named the conference's Player of the Year. Kelsey Innes (North Babylon, NY / North Babylon) was honored as the Freshman of the Year. Second-year head coach Lauren Mackay received Coach of the Year.
Herba, Innes and freshman defender Olivia Curry (Farmingdale, NY / Farmingdale) were named to the All-ACAA First Team, while freshman goalkeeper Rachael Scoones (Waterville, NY / Waterville) earned second-team honors. It marked Herba's second consecutive year named to the first team. Herba and Innes were also named to the All-ACAA Tournament team on Sunday.
In their first year as official NCAA Division III members, the Broncos opened the seasons with nine straight wins, and were ranked first nationally in the USCAA Division II Coaches Poll for four straight weeks. They went 5-3 in matches decided by one goal, including a 2-1 record in overtime contests. The team qualified for the ACAA Tournament at Finlandia University (Mich.), where they fell in a tight semifinals match to Alfred State by a 2-1 score on Saturday.
Innes and Herba were Delhi's potent scoring tandem all season, with Innes leading the way with 30 points on 12 goals and six assists, and Herba notching 28 points on 11 goals and six assists. Some of their highlights included Innes scoring the game-winning overtime goal in the Broncos' 1-0 double-overtime win against Keystone on Sept. 13, and netting both goals in Delhi's late-season 2-1 win at SUNY Poly on Oct. 23. Herba and Innes each even tallied a season-high three goals and two assists in the same match, an 8-1 rout of Penn State Hazleton on Sept. 15.
On the defensive side, Curry played a pivotal role in the Broncos defense that allowed just 18 goals all season with five shutouts, while holding teams to 175 shots with 99 shots on goal. Playing in 12 matches with 11 starts, Scoones posted a 7-4 record, logging three shutouts and recording a 1.36 goals allowed average and .814 save percentage. She was named both the USCAA Goalie of the Week and the ACAA Defensive Player of the Week.
Beginning her second year at the helm, Coach Mackay worked tirelessly to improve her team following a 3-11 campaign in 2017. She continued to develop her players during the offseason, while bringing in a strong recruiting class that contributed right away. While her previous year's team scored just 24 goals all season, Mackay's 2018 squad netted 51, with 26 of them being scored by her recruits. And where she had just one player in double digits in points last year – Herba with 28 –, her team this season boasted six in double figures. That included returnees Devin Baratto and Samantha Friedman, both with 12, as well as sophomore transfer Brianna Laing with 12 and freshman Alexa Scaglione with 11.