NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Dayton forward Itala Gemelli was named the Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year while freshman Emily Gaebe secured the league's Rookie of the Year award. The remaining three postseason recognitions fell to VCU, as seniors Lana Golob and Emma Kershner clinched the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player and Midfielder of the Year laurels, respectively, while ninth-year head coach Lindsey Martin earned the conference's Coach of the Year distinction.
The Atlantic 10 announced the five superlative awards along with the All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams Thursday prior to the 2021 A-10 Women's Soccer Championship semifinals which begin Friday at Baujan Field in Dayton, Ohio. The major awards, All-Conference Teams and All-Rookie Team were voted on by the A-10 women's soccer coaches while the All-Academic team was selected by the women's soccer communications directors.
Gemelli, a Rochester, Mich. product who captured the A-10 Women’s Soccer Rookie of the Year as well as First Team All-Conference honors during the 2020-21 campaign, put together a strong return in just her second season of collegiate action. The sophomore finished the year ranked second in the league with 12 goals scored and leads the Atlantic 10 with 40 shots-on-goal across 16 contests. She also tied for the top spot in the league with four game-winning scores and has been named Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Week three times as well (Sept. 27, Oct. 4 and Oct 18).
Golob captains the VCU back line, which recorded six clean sheets in 2021 and boasts the second-best goals-against average (0.811) in the A-10. The senior center back only missed two matches throughout the year, both while playing for the Slovenian national team in World Cup Qualifying. Notably, the European import also managed to contribute offensively behind a trio of goals this season: the lone score in a 1-0 win at St. Bonaventure on a corner kick rebound, the overtime game-winner at UMass and a converted penalty kick against Dayton.
Hailing from Centreville, Va., Kershner served as a vital midfield component for the regular-season champion Rams, concluding the 2021 campaign tied for ninth in the A-10 with five goals – the second most on the squad – while also ranking second amongst her teammates with 11 points. The redshirt senior registered a pair of game-winning goals this season as well, pushing her to fourth all-time in the program annals with a total seven career decisive scores.
A freshman forward out of Union, Mo., Gaebe composed an elite offensive showing over the course of the season for the Billikens, racking up team-bests in goals (6), points (15), shots (42) and shots-on-goal (24) across a 19-match campaign. Notably, the freshman closed out the year ranked inside the league's Top 10 for goals-per-game and shots-per-game while collecting two game-winners as well, posting the lone goal of a 1-0 victory over Richmond as well as the opening score during a 2-0 shutout of St. Bonaventure.
Martin, a nine-year veteran at VCU, led the Rams to the their second-highest win total of the past decade, claiming 13 victories en route to the program's first Atlantic 10 regular-season title since joining the conference in 2012. The Rams opened A-10 play with nine straight wins, tying the program record for longest win streak from 2005, as VCU worked as high as 23rd in the NCAA RPI Rankings (Oct. 11). Notably, Martin also earned her 100th career win as a head coach with a 1-0 victory at St. Bonaventure on Sept. 23.
Joining Gemelli, Golob and Kershner on the All-Conference First Team were forwards Cristina Torres (St. Bonaventure) and Samantha Jerabek (VCU), midfielders Jessica Sheldon (Dayton) and Abbie Miller (Saint Louis), defenders Mackenzie Lutz (Dayton), Brionna Halverson (Saint Louis) and Lyndsey Heckel (Saint Louis) along with co-goalkeepers Emily Puricelli (Saint Louis) and Grace Young (VCU).
The All-Conference Second Team features Gaebe along with fellow forwards Laney Huber (Dayton) and Lyndsey Gutzmer (VCU), midfielders Marlee Taylor (Dayton), Kelly Amador (George Washington), Ashley Lamond (Massachusetts) and Ashley Orendac (Saint Joseph's), defenders Fiona Kane (Massachusetts), Sophia Stram (Saint Louis) and Amber DiOrio (VCU) and goalkeeper Chiara Gottinger (St. Bonaventure).
The All-Rookie team stars Gaebe, Lamond, Gottinger, Aleia Gisolfi-McCready (Davidson), Alicia Window (George Washington), Shea Collins (La Salle), Lauren Costello (La Salle), Chandler Pedolzky (Massachusetts), Chanel Alexander (St. Bonaventure), Danielle Stuart (Saint Joseph's) and Hannah Sawyer (Saint Louis).
The All-Academic team includes Kershner, Sheldon, Jerabek and Torres along with Cecie Bassett (Davidson), Mary Grace Bunch (Davidson), Hannah Casey (Davidson), Hope Baisley (Fordham), TJ Anderson (Richmond), Erica Behr (Saint Joseph's) and Kayla Flanders (Saint Joseph's).
The 2021 Atlantic 10 Women's Soccer Championship continues with matches Friday between No. 4 Massahcusetts and No. 8 Saint Joseph's in the first semifinal at 1 pm ET/noon CT and No. 2 Dayton and No. 3 Saint Louis in the second semifinal at 4 pm ET/3 pm CT. The championship final will be played Sunday at noon ET/11 am CT. The final three matches of the A-10 Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.