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Dec. 9, 2009
Four IUP women's soccer players have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association All-Atlantic Region team, including Sarah Romasco on the first team, Kelly Brennan and Heather Robbins on the second team and Paige Virgara on the third team. Romasco, a forward who completed her Crimson Hawk career last month, was on the NSCAA all-region team all four years. In 2009 she scored eight goals and had a team-leading nine assists and was fourth in the PSAC and 65th in the country with 0.39 assists per game while ranking 11th in the conference in points and tied for 13th in goals scored. Romasco holds school career records for goals scored (65), assists (40), points (170) and games played (87). Her 21 goals and 55 points in 2006 are the second highest season totals in school history while her 20 goals and 51 points in 2007 rank third. Romasco also holds the school season assist record with 13 in 2006 and is second with 11 the following year. She recorded five career hat tricks and shares the school record with four goals in a game versus Clarion in 2006. She was the PSAC West Player of the Year as a freshman in 2006 and a three-time Daktronics all-region selection and was named to the ESPN the Magazine All-District II Academic team with a 3.77 cumulative grade point average as a math education major. Brennan, a sophomore goalkeeper, led the PSAC with 177 saves and 7.70 saves per game while ranking fifth in save percentage at .847 - the 32th best mark in the nation - and fourth with seven shutouts. She did not allow a goal in a 0-0 tie versus Gannon and 1-0 win over West Chester in the opening two rounds of the NCAA Atlantic Region tournament. She had six games with double figures in saves, including a season-high 16 versus Slippery Rock and 11 in the NCAA tournament game versus Gannon that IUP won in a penalty kick shootout. Brennan has started 44 games over the past two seasons and also led the PSAC in saves as a freshman last year with 144 and had two shutouts, including a 1-0 victory over Gannon in the conference playoffs. She ranks third in school history with 321 career saves. Robbins, a sophomore forward, is on the all-region team for the second time in as many college seasons. She scored a team-high 13 goals and 30 points, ranking third in the PSAC in goals and points and tied for third in the conference with five game-winning goals. Robbins had three two-goal games this season, including consecutive contests versus Lock Haven and Edinboro. She has scored 27 goals and has 60 points in her first two seasons at IUP. She already ranks seventh in school history in goals and eighth in points. Virgara, a sophomore midfielder, was third on the team with five goals and tied for third with 13 points and had one game-winning goal. She scored two late goals to help IUP rally for a 3-2 win over Gannon and had a goal and assist in an earlier victory over the Golden Knights. In 46 career games she has nine goals and 10 assists for 28 points. The Crimson Hawks finished the 2009 season with a record of 14-7-2 and 9-4-1 in the PSAC West and advanced to the third round of the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. IUP was ranked No. 17 in the final NSCAA national poll of the season. |
