Led by rookie Head Coach Brittany Casares, a total of five Dolphins were bestowed honors by the City University of New York Athletic Conference as part of the conference’s announcement of all-stars. Casares was named Coach of the Year, while Catherine Mulligan, Adrianna Parello, Lauren Smith, and Samantha LaValle all earned first-team all-star selections, with Parello also earning on to the conference’s All-Sportsmanship Team.
Casares was a likely choice for Coach of the Year honors. Despite losing 17 letterwinners from a year ago, the first-year head coach boasted a perfect 6-0 CUNYAC mark, and the Dolphins saved their best performances for last, winning five-straight games to end the season, culminating in a 6-2 win over John Jay in the CUNYAC Final. The six goals scored by the Dolphins were the most ever by a team in the Final. It marked CSI’s fourth-straight title and 10th overall, and punched a ticket to the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament this coming weekend.
Three seniors earned their way to all-star status, led by Lauren Smith. Smith recorded her first-ever multi-goal game and the CUNYAC’s first Finals hat trick, netting three goals in CSI’s 6-2 win over the Bloodhounds this past weekend. She was the logical choice for the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player honor. Smith finalized the season with eight goals, good for second on the team, while amassing seven assists, good for third on the unit. Her 48 total shots ranked second on the team. Smith was also the CUNYAC’s Rookie of the Year in 2015, and was CSI’s only goal-scorer in their NCAA Tournament loss a year ago.
Defensive standouts Mulligan and Parello teamed up to stake all-star honors as well. For Mulligan the citation was her third in a row, as she won the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award in 2016. Mulligan played in all but one game this season, posting a single goal on two shots. As the team’s primary back, she is normally the last line of defense for the Dolphins, who allowed just 31 goals this season and only three in six conference games this season.
Parello, who doubled on the All-Sportsmanship team returned as a Graduate Studies student to compete for CSI this past season. All over the pitch, Parello is a true stopper with tremendous power on set pieces and when moving the ball downfield. The senior scored a goal in CSI’s win over John Jay in the Final, and accumulated four goals and a team-high nine assists this season, scattering 45 shots, good for fourth on the team.
CSI’s final all-star was arguably one of the most dominating players within the conference in Samantha LaValle. The first-year sophomore, LaValle posted a team-best 21 goals this season in just 15 games, having missed three due to injury. The goal-scoring mark is the 10th-highest nationally, and her 78 shots rank 28th nationally as well. Her six game-winners are one short of the CSI record, and LaValle’s five goals in a single game tied the school’s all-time single game record. LaValle also scored five of CSI’s 11 postseason goals, including a registered hat trick in CSI’s 5-0 Semifinal win over Lehman College.
Lehman’s Daisy Gomez won the CUNYAC’s Player of the Year award, while John Jay’s Gianna Russo took home Rookie of the Year honors. Geraldine Guese from York College was the CUNYAC’s Sportsmanship Player of the Year winner.
