Dalton named NEC Co-Goalkeeper of the Year; 6 named All-NEC
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Junior Meghan Dalton (West Hartford, Conn.) was named the Northeast Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Year and a record six Bulldogs earned All-NEC honors at the pre-tournament awards banquet on Thursday night.
Dalton becomes the first Bulldog to win a major NEC award in program history and was also one of three first-team selections for the Black and Gold. Redshirt senior Alison Guilmette (Coventry, R.I.) and junior Jamie Irwin (Succasunna, N.J.) join Dalton on the first team, while seniors Remi Manna (Pleasantville, N.Y.) and Marissa Grasso (Shelton, Conn.) earned second-team honors. Katrina Stangl (Park Ridge, N.J.) was named to the NEC All-Rookie team.
Bryant's most accomplished goalie in DI program history, Dalton adds a bit of hardware to her resume this fall. Dalton enters the NEC Tournament having played every single minute this year for the Black and Gold. She has posted a 9-3-4 record, a DI single-season record-tying six shutouts and leads the NEC with a 0.71 goals against average. Dalton has allowed just four goals in her last 10 games and helped the Bulldogs finished tied for the league-lead in goals allowed in NEC-only games. On the season, Bryant has allowed four fewer goals than any other team.
Guilmette picks up the first postseason honor of her career after facilitating one of the Black and Gold's best offensive seasons at the DI level. She recorded two goals and a team-high four assists, finishing the regular season with a career-high eight points. Guilmette enters the tournament on a tear, having recorded points in each of her last three, including goals in back-to-back games.
Irwin continued to showcase that she's the league's premier defender, helping the Black and Gold allow just four goals over the final 10 games of the regular season. She is now a three-time All-NEC First Team selection, the only one in program history, and has helped the Black and Gold lead the NEC in goals against in two of the last three years.
Manna picks up her second-straight second-team honor and is now a three-time All-NEC selection after earning all-rookie honors as a freshman. This fall, Manna's play has been off the charts. She's recorded six goals and two assists for a DI single-season record 14 points. Manna has used her head to score five of her six goals on the year and added the equalizer against FDU in the 89th minute. She enters the NEC Tournament with 34 career points, the second-most in Bryant's DI history.
Grasso has made the shift to the backline seamlessly this year and is a second-team honoree because of it. She's started all 16 games for the Bulldogs, helping Bryant limit opponents to just over 10 shots per game.
Stangl was also a steadying force the Bulldogs as a true freshman. She appeared in 11 games and made nine starts. Bryant was 6-1-2 in games she started during the regular season.