NORFOLK Va. (November 15, 2018) – Following a magnificent 11-4 season that saw the SUNY Delhi women's soccer team qualify for the ACAA Tournament, head coach Lauren Mackay and three of her players went on to receive national praise from the USCAA. Mackay was named the USCAA Women's Soccer Division II Coach of the Year. Freshman defender Olivia Curry (Farmingdale, NY / Farmingdale) earned a spot on the All-American First Team. Senior forward Katie Herba (Perth, NY / Broadalbin-Perth) and freshman forward Kelsey Innes (North Babylon, NY / North Babylon) were named to the Second Team.
This marks the latest end-of-season recognition for all four, following earning accolades from the ACAA earlier this month. Mackay was named the conference's Coach of the Year, while Herba received Player of the Year and Innes Freshman of the Year. Curry, Herba and Innes were First Team selections.
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.
In their first season as official NCAA Division III members, the Broncos opened the season 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 made it to the ACAA Tournament at Finlandia University (Mich.), where they fell in a tight semifinals match to Alfred State by a 2-1 score on Nov. 3. All told, the Broncos improved by eight games from last season, and logged their highest season win total since 2007.
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. With the departure of two key center backs from last season, the freshman filled the void as the team's lone center back. Her blend of knowledge, speed and one-on-one skills proved to be the difference in many of Delhi's close contests. These were on full display in the team's pair of 1-0 victories this season against Keystone on Sept. 13 and Albany College of Pharmacy on Oct. 4. Curry even got in on the scoring action, logging a goal in the Broncos' 15-0 rout of Villa Maria on Sept. 9.
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. Innes had one more multi-goal game, collecting two scores in a 6-4 shootout victory over Fisher on Oct. 28.
