Wade, Manfria Named Player of the Year and Coach of the Year as Beavers Earn Six CUNYAC Awards
NEW YORK – Earning three City University of New York Athletic Conference / Applebee's Women's Soccer Player of the Week honors and the Most Valuable Player honors of the 2012 CUNYAC Championship team that earned the first ever automatic NCAA qualifier in conference history was just the start for senior Dzindzi Asamoah-Wade and head coach Don Manfria.
Wade was named CUNYAC / Applebee's Women's Soccer Player of the Year by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon while Manfria earned the conference's coach of the year honor after leading the Beavers to a school record 15 wins, 13 shutouts and 64 goals en route to CCNY's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Wade earned the top honor, the first ever such honor in City College women's soccer history, after posting 20 goals and nine assists while Manfria, who earned his second CUNYAC title since taking over the Beavers soccer program in 2009, was named coach of the year for the first time in his four-year career.
"It's a great honor for Dzindzi and our program," said Manfria. "Since joining us, she has been the missing piece and winning this award is a perfect ending to her two years spent as a member and leader of the CCNY women's soccer program."
Wade earned ECAC Player of the Week honors once this season as well and posted multiple-goal performances in five games this year, including tying career-highs with three goals (Brooklyn College on Sept. 27 and NYU-Poly on Oct. 15).
"This season was all I wished for and more," said Wade. "The coaching staff pushed us to reach our potential and I'm glad we could give back to them. This team is the best group of girls and we would not be as successful as we were without all of us as a unit. Being a senior definitely was something that motivated me. It made me appreciate everything so much more."
This year's team set numerous records under Manfria, but the head coach is quick to credit his team's success to the hard work the girls put in day in and day out.
"You cannot be coach of the year without great players," Manfria said. "It's been a great season, setting school records for wins, shutouts and first ever NCAA appearance by a CUNYAC team but it's a testament to this year's team. This team bought into the system here and brought dedication and intensity on a daily basis, from practice to nutrition and everything that goes into being a successful program."
The Beavers postseason honors did not end there as junior defender Heather Ruger and senior midfielder Frances Tapia earned first team all-star nods while junior goalkeeper Nicole Carroll and junior forward Paola Ramos were named second team all-stars.
Ruger, a co-captain on this historic team, highlighted a strong defense that ultimately allowed just 23 goals all season. The sweeper earned CUNYAC's defender of the week honors in the final week of the regular season. The defense became known for limiting shots on goal as the Beavers allowed four shots or less eight times this season.
Tapia recorded a career-high 11 goals and nine assists on the year and earned ECAC player of the week and CUNYAC player of the week honors once. The senior tied a career-high with three goals on senior day (6-0 victory over NYU-Poly on Oct. 15) and ends her CCNY career as the career leader in goals in Beavers history with 29 goals, along with ranking amongst the top in assists with 13 career helpers.
Ramos set the single-season mark with 11 assists to go along with eight goals in her debut season for the Beavers. The junior transfer earned rookie of the week honors after posting five assists in three games earlier this season (week ending on Oct. 15) and posted two goals and two assists in a 7-0 victory over Lehman College in the CUNYAC / Applebee's Women's Soccer Semifinals on Nov. 1.
Carroll allowed just 23 goals and made 114 saves in as the junior set the CCNY and CUNYAC single-season record with 13 shutouts. In the opening round of the 2012 Division III NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament, the Bayside native posted a career-high 23 saves against The College of New Jersey. Carroll ended the season with a .832 saves percentage, the highest in CCNY history.
For full coverage of Beavers soccer, please visit CCNYAthletics.com and follow @CCNYSports on Twitter.
