DeMaio, Guthrie, Brandao Receive Soccerbuzz National Honors
Dec 14 | Women's Soccer
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers women's soccer players Kim Brandao (Rahway, N.J.), Gina DeMaio (Parsippany, N.J.), Meghan Ryan (Crofton, Md.), Erin Guthrie (Sparta, N.J.), Jenifer Anzivino (Middletown, N.J.), and Alicia Hall (Port Republic, N.J.) were recognized by Soccerbuzz as part of the organization's post season national and regional awards. Seventh-year head coach Glenn Crooks was named the Mid-Atlantic Region Runner-Up Coach of the Year by Soccerbuzz, while Tierney Brady (Brick, N.J.) was selected to the Second Team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-East Region.
Brandao was named to the Soccerbuzz Third Team All-America, her first national honor after being selected to all-regional squads during her junior season (2004) by both NSCAA and Soccerbuzz. One of the Scarlet Knights' senior captains in 2006, she was also named to the NSCAA First Team All-Region, having been named to the third-team during the 2003 campaign. During the 2006 season, Brandao anchored a Rutgers defense that allowed just 0.50 goal per game. On the offensive end, Brandao scored two goals, including one in Rutgers' nationally-televised victory over Princeton.
During her final season "On the Banks," Brandao was named to Top Drawer Soccer's National Team of the Week, as well as earning BIG EAST Honor Roll honors, both for the period ending Oct. 16. Brandao closed out her career with three goals, including one gamewinner.
DeMaio collected three Soccerbuzz accolades after earning second team all-region honors from NSCAA. After leading the team in points in her rookie campaign, DeMaio earned First Team Freshman All-America honors, one of only 12 first-year players to earn the award. She was also named to the first team All-Freshman Mid-Atlantic Region and Second Team All-Mid-Atlantic. DeMaio led the Scarlet Knights in points in her rookie season, scoring five goals and tallying a team-high eight assists. DeMaio's eight assists rank her fourth in program history for assists in a single season, and it marks the first time since 2001 that a Rutgers player tallied eight or more assists in a season, as Erica Schubert recorded 10 during that campaign.
The Parsippany native posted two three-point performances in 2006, recording both a goal and an assist in Rutgers' wins over Marquette (Sept. 29) and South Florida (Oct. 1). For her efforts that week, DeMaio was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. At the BIG EAST Championships, the league announced DeMaio as a second-team all-conference selection, the first post season honors of her career.
Rookie goalkeeper Guthrie was named to the Soccerbuzz Second Team All-America Freshman and also earned regional all-freshman honors. In her freshman campaign, Guthrie posted a 0.51 goal-against average and made 68 saves, allowing only 12 goals, and setting a single-season record for shutouts with 14. During the season, Guthrie earned both BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Defensive Player of the Week honors, and was also named to the BIG EAST honor roll once during the year.
Hall earned Soccerbuzz First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors, her second post season accolade of the season, after being named to the All-BIG EAST second team. In her sophomore season, Hall led the team in goals with eight, and also had one assist. She scored three game-winners, including the first in Rutgers' nationally-televised victory over Cincinnati (Oct. 20). Hall also recorded a goal in the Scarlet Knights' BIG EAST tournament win over West Virginia (Nov. 3), as Rutgers overcame a two-goal deficit to advance to the league championship game. Playing center midfielder, Hall was part of one of the top midfields in the country, a group that contributed 13 goals and 14 assists in 2006.
Anzivino, who had a team-best four game-winning goals, was named to the Soccerbuzz Mid-Atlantic Region All-Freshman team. The rookie finished the season with six goals and also had three assists. In BIG EAST contests against Seton Hall (Sept. 15) and Syracuse (Oct. 13), Anzivino scored the Scarlet Knights' lone goals, lifting the team to two conference wins. In the first round of the NCAA Championships, Anzivino scored the gamewinner against Hartford University, en route to a 2-0 Rutgers win.
Starting center back and 2006 co-captain, Ryan racked up her first post season accolades as she was named to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region second team. Ryan, a junior, helped anchor a Scarlet Knight defense that allowed just 12 goals in 2006 and made two defensive saves. Ryan was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week, BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Oct. 2.
Junior midfielder Brady earned Second Team NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-East Region Honors. The exercise science and sports studies major has a 3.72 GPA and has served a big role in Rutgers' success at midfield. Brady assisted on the gamewinner in a defeat of Louisville (Oct. 22). In the BIG EAST semifinals against West Virginia (Nov. 3), Brady assisted on Courtney Roarty's (Edison, N.J.) first goal that catalyzed a Scarlet Knight three-goal unaswered comeback win against the Mountaineers.
Crooks, following his seventh season at the helm of the Rutgers program, was named the Soccerbuzz Mid-Atlantic Region Runner-Up Coach of the Year. Rutgers finished the season with a program-best 16-3-4 record, including a mark of 8-1-2 in regular-season conference play. With 16 shutouts, the Scarlet Knights broke the single-season record for shutouts in a season and also posted the most wins in school history. Earning a spot in the BIG EAST Championship playoffs, Rutgers advanced to the title game for the first time in program history, falling to top-ranked Notre Dame, 4-2. The Scarlet Knights also earned their fourth bid to the NCAA Championship tournament in 2006, advancing to the second round.
