Women's Soccer | 11/2/2017 8:15:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Three players from the Robert Morris University women's soccer team received postseason recognition from the Northeast Conference (NEC) at its pre-tournament banquet on Thursday night.
Sophomore forward Kristina Kelley was named to the All-NEC First Team, junior midfielder Jane Schleicher appeared on the All-NEC Second Team, and freshman goalkeeper Sydney Bruckner collected All-NEC Rookie Team accolades.
PDF: 2017 Women's Soccer All-NEC Teams
Kelley, a native of Halifax, Pa., is the program's first All-NEC First Team selection since her older sister Kayla gained the plaudits in 2014. The sophomore put together one of the most illustrious offensive seasons in school history as she led the team in goals (9), assists (7), and points (25). All three scoring numbers rank in the top six all-time at RMU, with her assist total sitting one shy of tying the program single-season record. Kelley registered a brace at LIU Brooklyn on Oct. 13, tallied a goal and two assists at Howard on Sept. 3, and closed the season with identical three-point outputs (1g, 1a) over the Colonials' final three games.
Hailing from the Steel City, Schleicher makes the All-NEC Second Team after proving to be a dynamic option in the attacking third. The junior nearly matched Kelley's goal-scoring numbers, finishing with eight tallies to go along with three assists and 19 points. Both her goal and point totals are tied for the eighth highest in single-season program history. She scored two game-winners on the year, tallying the decider during a five-point afternoon at Howard and the golden goal in an overtime victory over NEC co-regular-season champion Fairleigh Dickinson.
Bruckner, a first-year out of Mechanicsburg, Pa., is RMU's first goalkeeper to be named to the All-NEC Rookie Team. The freshman was rock solid down the stretch, posting three shutouts over the Colonials' final five games. She stopped a career-high eight shots on four different occasions, including a 2-1 overtime victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, giving the Knights their only defeat in NEC play. Coupled with a seven-save clean sheet of Mount St. Mary's, Bruckner was named both NEC co-Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week on Oct. 23.
The three All-NEC honorees match the 2007, 2011, and 2015 sides for the most in RMU history.
Robert Morris finished the season with a record of 6-11 and 4-4 in conference play.
