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Seven Women's Soccer Players Earn Academic All-MAC Recognition
11/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
BUFFALO, NY – A program record seven University at Buffalo, The State University of New York women's soccer players were named to the Academic All-MAC team, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday. Julia Benati, Carissima Cutrona and Laura Dougall were all named to the team for the first time in their career while Jackie Hall, Kassidy Kidd, Andrea Niper and Kristin Markiewicz earned the recognition for the second straight season.
"Part of building a championship culture is being a champion in the classroom," stated head coach Shawn Burke. "Our athletes are leading the way here at UB and to have seven academic All-MAC recipients says a lot about the type of student-athlete we have here."
Benati, an exercise science major with a 3.97 GPA, was a key component for the Bulls offense this season as they clinched their second straight MAC East title. Benati finished the season starting all 21 matches while ranking second on the team with a career-high six goals and three assists for 15 points. The sophomore also led the conference with five game-winning goals on the season.
Cutrona, a social sciences major with a 3.80 GPA, made an immediate impact for the Bulls this season after transferring from Colgate. Cutrona appeared in 21 matches while earning 20 starts and finished off her impressive season with three goals and five assists for 11 points. The forward also ranked second on the squad with 47 shots on the season.
A psychology major with a 3.20 GPA, Dougall turned in another exceptional season between the pipes for the Bulls as she owned an 11-7-3 overall record on the season. Dougall finished the season with a 0.78 goals-against average, a .858 save percentage and eight shutouts for UB. The sophomore set the programs all-time shutouts mark this season when she made her 21st career cleansheet. She also ranks second all-time in career wins with 27.
Receiving Academic All-MAC accolades for the second straight season, Hall was once again the main cog in the middle for a strong UB defense. The psychology and communications double major with a 3.65 GPA, started all 20 matches for the Bulls and finished with one goal and one assist for three points. The first team All-MAC player helped the UB defense earn eight shutouts on the season and helped UB clinch their second straight MAC East title, becoming the first women's program in UB history to do so.
Kidd, a grad student in the physical therapy program with a 3.68 GPA, burst onto the scene during her junior campaign as she appeared in all 21 matches while starting 19 at forward for the Bulls. The senior led the team in scoring as she notched career-highs in goals (six) and assists (six) for 18 points. She also led the Bulls with 51 shots while notching one game-winning goal. Kidd also earned first team All-MAC accolades for the first time in her career.
Markiewicz, a grad student in the pharmacy program with a 3.40 GPA, earns her second Academic All-MAC honor after another productive year on defense for the Bulls. Markiewicz played a key roll at the center back position for the Bulls as she helped UB notch eight shutouts on the year. The senior captain started all 21 matches for the Bulls while notching one assist on the year. To cap her career, Markiewicz was named to the MAC All-Tournament team following two great performances in the conference tournament.
Niper, an economics major with a 3.95 GPA, stepped right into her new role as a starting midfielder and flourished for the Bulls as she started all 21 matches for the blue and white. The junior finished the season with a career-high two goals and helped solidify the Bulls midfield while being a huge aerial presence for UB all season long.
The Bulls were awarded seven Academic All-MAC honorees for the second straight season under head coach Shawn Burke. The seven honorees are a program record.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. First-year students and junior college transfers in their first year of residence are not eligible for the award.
