Five women's soccer players named to NEWMAC All-Conference teams

November 7, 2006

WORCESTER, MA- The Wheaton College women's soccer team placed five players on the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) All-Conference teams for the second consecutive season and third time in the last four falls, as the Lyons had three players named to the first team and two to the second at Tuesday's postseason meeting at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI).

Junior Lauren Konopka (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross), who was named NEWMAC Rookie of the Year two seasons ago and to the first team last fall, garnered her second straight pick to the first squad, while junior Erin Davis (Easton, CT/Joel Barlow) and sophomore Angelamaria Viscomi (Newton, MA/Newton North) were tabbed first-time honorees. Juniors Ashley Furr (Chicopee, MA/Cathedral) and Jenna Stiegler (Madison, WI/Middleton) were named to the all-league second team for the second straight year.

Konopka leads the NEWMAC's top-scoring offense with 11 assists and 31 points, which are good for first and second in the conference, respectively. Her 10 goals also place her in a tie for third in the NEWMAC. Becoming just the sixth player in Wheaton history to reach the 100-point milestone, Konopka stands sixth in the program's annals for points (106) and goals (39) and seventh in assists (28). She has recorded a point in 15 of the Lyons' 22 games, including eight contests against league teams.

After scoring just three goals as a freshman, Viscomi has exploded on to the offensive scene with 11 goals, seven assists and 29 points. She stands second in the conference in goals, third in points and tied for sixth in assists. Recording multiple points in eight games, Viscomi leads the team with five game-winning goals, including two times against WPI and once versus the United States Coast Guard Academy.

Davis, who on Monday was chosen NEWMAC Player of the Week, anchors a league-leading defense with a 0.54 goals against average and 14 shutouts. Joining Stiegler as the only two Lyons to start 22 games, Davis has provided two goals and six assists from her back position. Over the weekend, she helped Wheaton to its sixth conference tournament title, assisting on the game-tying goal during a semifinal against Babson College, netting the clinching tally in penalty kicks against the Beavers, and scoring the game-winner versus Smith College in Sunday's championship.

Furr has been Wheaton's most consistent midfielder, tying for second in the NEWMAC with 10 assists while adding a pair of tallies and one game-winner in 17 starts. Catching fire of late, Furr has tallied points in six of the Blue and White's last eight games. She earned a point in seven games against conference teams while assisting on game-winners versus Coast Guard and WPI.

Stiegler has bolstered a Lyon defense that has yielded just 12 goals in 2,000 minutes. Posting a pair of game-winning goals against Mount Holyoke College and Springfield College, Stiegler also tallied a goal versus Johnson & Wales University and an assist at Endicott College for a total of three goals and one assist.

The 20-1-1 Lyons, ranked ninth in the country and second in the region according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), enter this weekend as the host in a four-team field during what will be their seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Wheaton, which won its eighth consecutive NEWMAC regular season title, faces Husson College in Saturday's opening round at 11:00 a.m. With a victory, the Lyons will play either Amherst College or Kean University on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

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