@CanesFutbol Holds Annual Team Banquet
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami soccer team hosted its yearly banquet Saturday at the Hurricane 100 Room.
With players, parents, staff and signees in attendance, the event included a team highlight video, a speech from head coach Mary-Frances Monroe, speeches from each of the four outgoing seniors and more.
Emily Auld, Gianna Dal Pozzo and Gracie Lachowecki each addressed the group in-person, while Shannon McCarthy, who has already departed from Miami, sent her speech in via video. Five Hurricanes were also recognized with 2016 awards, as voted on by their teammates.
McCarthy, a defender, earned the Above the Line Award, previously known as the Unsung Hero. McCarthy, who has signed a professional contract to play with FC Charme in Japan, was the lone Hurricane to play every minute of all 19 matches in 2016 and served as the primary free-kick taker. The team co-captain from Brighton, Mich., logged career highs in assists (five) and points (seven), ranking second and fifth on the team, respectively.
Freshman forwards Dejah Cason and Kristina Fisher, both from the Sunshine State, shared Rookie of the Year honors.
Cason, who earned one ACC Offensive Player of the Week accolade, played in every match and earned 13 starts. A native of Hollywood, Fla., Cason tied for third on the team in assists (four) and tied for fourth in points (eight), plus notched a pair of game-winning goals. She also tied a program record with three assists in a half, equaling the most by an ACC player in a full game all season.
Fisher became the third player in program history to be named to the ACC All-Freshman Team and she also garnered All-ACC Academic Team distinction. Fisher paced Miami in assists (six) and ranked second in both points (20) and goals (seven), with the first two marks putting her top-10 in the ACC. The Jupiter, Fla., native was named the NSCAA College Player of the Week after the first weekend of her career.
For the second consecutive season, Dal Pozzo was selected as the Defensive MVP. A team co-captain and four-year starter on the back line, the defender helped the Hurricanes set the program single-season record for fewest goals allowed (16) and lowest goals against average (0.82). Dal Pozzo, a native of Naperville, Ill., ranked second among Hurricanes in minutes with 1,688, playing all but 68, and also tallied four assists from the back line, tied for third-most on the team.
Lachowecki, a forward, was tabbed as the Hurricanes’ Offensive MVP for the second year in a row. The Evansville, Ind., native turned in one of the finest seasons in program history, leading Miami in goals (11) and points (25), ranking four and fifth, respectively, in the ACC. A First Team All-ACC pick and an NSCAA Second Team All-Southeast Region honoree, Lachowecki won two ACC Offensive Player of the Week awards and one NSCAA College Player of the Week distinction.
Miami went 10-8-1 (5-5-0) in 2016, tying for the third-most wins in a campaign in program history and setting a school record for conference victories.
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