NEWTON, Mass. (4/28/15) – Senior Alexa Katsigianis (Amherst, N.H.) and junior Bridget Munnelly (Bellingham, Mass.) highlighted the 2015 All-Conference Teams as voted upon by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference's (GNAC) ten head coaches. Katsigianis was named Goalkeeper of the Year, as Munnelly earned Defensive Player of the Year.
Katsigianis earned Goalkeeper of the Year after an exceptional performance this spring, earning 11 wins in between the pipes for the Lasers. Katsigianis ranks first among conference keepers in save percentage (52.7%) with 135 total saves – where she also ranks third.
Munnelly, awarded with her second collegiate All-GNAC honor, served as Lasell's anchor on defense. Munnelly scooped up a team-high 59 ground balls and owned a tremendous 67 draw controls. The Bellingham, Mass. native appeared in all 18 contests for the Lasers and additionally chipped in with 14 goals and 11 assists, finishing the year with 25 total points.
Joined by Katsigianis and Munnelly on the First Team is junior Bridget Doherty (Franklin, Mass.), while senior Toni Minelli (Newington, Conn.) and junior Ashlee Pechulis (Westfield, Mass.) were placed on the Second Team.
Doherty, Lasell's leading scorer, tallied 43 goals on the year to where she ranks seventh among conference stat leaders. Doherty added 12 helpers to fuel the Lasers' offense to equal 55 overall points. Minelli – who played and started in all 18 contests for the Lasers – fired in 33 goals to account for a majority of Lasell's offense. Minelli also ranks fourth in the GNAC in assists, as she added 24 helpers this year. Pechulis registered 34 goals and 16 assists, as she dominated the midfield with 48 victories from the draw and collected 31 ground balls.
Senior Michaela Doughty (Scituate, Mass.) was named as the Laser representative on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship team, and she represented the Lasell women's lacrosse team with enthusiasm, good sportsmanship, and dedication.
First Team
A – Kristen Tuleja, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Mansfield, Mass.)
A – Bridget Doherty, Lasell (Jr., Franklin, Mass.)
A – Amanda Bowen, Mount Ida (Sr., Randolph, Vt.)
A – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Scarborough, Maine)
A – Mary Leasure, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., South Portland, Maine)
M – Lydia Knapp, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Glens Falls, N.Y.)
M – Kat Gadbois, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Scarborough, Maine)
M – Greer Gilbert, Simmons (Jr., Falmouth, Mass.)
D – Savannah Lundwall, Emmanuel (Mass.) (So., Fiskdale, Mass.)
D – Bridget Munnelly, Lasell (Jr., Bellingham, Mass.)
D – Meghan Williams, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Greenland, N.H.)
GK – Alexa Katsigianis, Lasell (Sr., Amherst, N.H.)
Second Team
A – Sarah Wootten, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Sr., Berlin, Md.)
A – Raquel Pederzani, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Fr., Coventry, R.I.)
A – Toni Minelli, Lasell (Sr., Newington, Conn.)
A – Kasey Fries, Simmons (Fr., Bridgewater, Mass.)
A – Stephanie Oliveri, Simmons (Sr., Waltham, Mass.)
M – Sarah Higgins, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Groveland, Mass.)
M – Ashlee Pechulis, Lasell (Jr., Westfield, Mass.)
M – Lizzie Calnan, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Westport, Mass.)
D – Megan Brown, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Great Mills, MD)
D – Emma Lafrance, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Westport, Mass.)
D – Symonne Fontenot, Simmons (Sr., Portsmouth, N.H.)
GK – Lauren White, Emmanuel (Mass.) (Jr., Lynnfield, Mass.)
Offensive Player of the Year – Lydia Knapp, Johnson & Wales (RI) (So., Glens Galls, N.Y.)
Defensive Player of the Year – Bridget Munnelly, Lasell (Jr., Bellingham, Mass.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Alexa Katsigianis, Lasell (Sr., Amherst, N.H.)
Rookie of the Year – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Scarborough, Maine)
Coach of the Year – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Albertus Magnus College
All-Sportsmanship Team
Kiana White, Albertus Magnus (So., Irvington, N.J.)
Abaigeal Merrigan, Emmanuel (So., Rye, N.H.)
Mary Kate Bowe, Johnson & Wales (Jr., Mount Laurel, N.J.)
Michaela Doughty, Lasell (Sr., Scituate, Mass.)
Shaylene Hegarty, Mount Ida (Fr., Townsend, Mass.)
Larissa Gokey, Norwich (Jr., St. Johnsbury, Vt.)
Shae O'Connell, Rivier (So., Bridgewater, Mass.)
Bridget Saur, Saint Joseph (Conn.) (Jr., South Windsor, Conn.)
Jackie Wilson, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Tiverton, R.I.)
Alexia Malone Oliver, Simmons (Jr., Bristol, R.I.)