WASHINGTON -- For the second year in a row, Saint Louis teammates Emily Gaebe and Lyndsey Heckel received recognition as the Atlantic 10 Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, while teammates Massachusetts' Bella Recinos earned Midfielder of the Year honors for the second-straight year. Additionally, Saint Joseph's Katie Cappelletti was selected as the Goalkeeper of the Year, and Fordham's Liina Tervo and Magnus Nilerud were chosen as the Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year.
The Atlantic 10 released the six superlative awards along with the All-Conference, All-Rookie and All-Academic teams Tuesday prior to the Championship Semifinals of 2024 A-10 Women’s Soccer Championship, which will be played tonight. The major honors, All-Conference Teams and All-Rookie Team were voted on by the A-10 women’s soccer head coaches while the All-Academic Team was selected by the women’s soccer communications directors.
Gaebe leads the A-10 with 12 goals (19th nationally) and 75 shots (4.17 per game, 20th nationally), is tied for the league lead with 28 points (27th nationally) and four game-winning goals (26th nationally) and ranks second with 36 shots on goal (2.00 per game, 22nd nationally). She collected three A-10 Offensive Player of the Week nods and twice was named to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week. On the Saint Louis career charts, Gaebe set school records of 44 goals, 110 points and 289 shots and moved into second in game-winning goals (12), fourth in game-winning assists (eight), fifth in assists (22) and seventh in games played (87).
The Union, Mo. native becomes the first player to be named Offensive Player of the Year in back to back years since Charlotte's Whitney Weinraub in 2008-09.
Heckel anchors a Saint Louis defense that has conceded only nine goals this season – including just three to A-10 opponents – and has limited opponents to 8.5 total shots, 3.9 shots on goal and 3.2 corner kicks per game. SLU’s 0.48 goals against average ranks sixth in the nation, and its .632 shutout percentage (12 shutouts in 19 games, including six in the past seven games) is 10th nationally. Heckel ranks second on the team in goals (five) and points (12). On SLU’s career lists, she is tied for second in games started (104), fourth in games played (104) and tied for fifth in game-winning goals (10).
The St. Louis, Mo. native becomes the first player to be named Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive years since Saint Louis' Alli Klug won three in a row from 2017-19.
Recinos started in all 19 games for the Minutewomen, so far, this season, accumulating 1,542 minutes on the pitch. She leads the team with a career-high 20 points and a career-best nine goals, while registering two assists. Recinos also recorded a team-high 42 shots, including a team-best 24 shots on goal. The Winter Park, Florida, native, tallied a team-leading four game-winning goals on the year, tying for first in the A-10 Conference. Her 20 points rank fifth in the league, with her nine goals tying her for third in the conference. Recinos matched a career-high four points, registering her first career brace at George Washington (10/3), notching the game-winner. At Saint Joseph’s, she capitalized on her first career penalty kick opportunity.
Recinos becomes the first player to be named Midfielder of the Year in consecutive years since Dayton's Nicole Waters in 2014-15.
The first Hawk in program history to earn A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year recognition, Cappelletti has been stellar this season as she enters Wednesday's A-10 Championship semifinals with a 9-3-7 record and leads the conference in saves (98) and save percentage (.875). Currently third in the A-10 in goals against average (.738), Cappelletti was stellar in conference play this season, going 4-1-5 with a .800 goal against average and four shutouts. A five-year starter, Cappelletti holds the program record for shutouts (27), saves (422) and ties (22), is second in wins (24) and ranks third in goals against average (1.220) and save percentage (.805).
Tervo is the first Fordham women’s soccer player to be named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year and the first Ram to be named First Team All-Atlantic 10 since Brooke Salmon in 2018. Tervo and Acosta also joined Katie McDermott (2007) as the only Rams to be named to the All-Conference and All-Rookie Team in the same season. A two-time Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week, Tervo was Fordham's leading scorer with 10 goals, eight assists, and 28 points, setting freshman school records in all three categories. She tied for the conference lead in points at the end of the regular season, while being second in the league in goals and assists. She also wrote her name in the Fordham record book by tying the Rams' single season record for assists in a season and recording the fastest hat trick in school history.
Nilerud just wrapped up his third season with Rams, as Fordham had its first 10-win season since 2016 and qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 2019. The Rams, who were picked tenth in the preseason poll had a six-win improvement from 2023 to 2024 and finished fourth in the conference, the team’s highest finish since 2009 (third). The Rams finished the year with 37 team assists, which is the second-best mark in team history, while having 36 goals (5th) and 109 points (3rd). He is the second Fordham women’s soccer coach to receive the conference’s Coach of the Year award, joining Ness Selmani (2003 & 2006).
Joining the award winners on the First Team are Dayton's Diana Beningo, Noel Blain, Kyra Karfonta and Laney Smith, La Salle's Haley Gschrey and Loyola Chicago's Alaina Abel.
The Atlantic 10 Semifinals are set for Wednesday evening with No. 1 Saint Louis hosting No. 5 Saint Joseph's at 7:00 p.m. CT and No. 2 Dayton facing No. 3 Massachusetts at 7:00 p.m. ET.