NEWARK, NJ—NJIT’s junior goalkeeper Sadie Mele was named 2009 Defensive Player of the Year in the Great West Conference East Division in awards announced Thursday evening.
Mele and her fellow honorees were feted at the pre-tournament banquet on the eve of the inaugural Great West Conference Women’s Soccer Championship tournament to be hosted by NJIT. The banquet was held in the Campus Center ballroom and the tournament will be played on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium this weekend beginning Friday at midday.
Mele, who shared all-conference goalkeeping honors with Alechia Brothers of South Carolina State, was joined on the all-conference team by fellow Highlanders Cielianna Pasiciel, a sophomore who was named one of three defenders on the East Division team and by sophomore Piper Lunan, who was one of three forwards honored in voting by the East Division coaches.
The Great West Conference includes eight teams divided into two four-team divisions (East and West) in women’s soccer. The two divisions compete as separate entities during the regular season with each team meeting its three division rivals on a home-and-home basis, but with no crossover between the divisions.
As a result, each division has an Offensive Player of the Year, a Defensive Player of the Year, a Newcomer of the Year and a Coach of the Year, in addition to a 12-player all-conference team comprised of three defenders, three forwards, three midfielders, two goalkeepers and an at-large honoree. All awards are given on the basis of voting by the coaches.
Mele, who has played every minute of every game from the start of her nearly three-year career, backstopped NJIT to a first-place finish in the East Division in the inaugural season of Great West Conference play. She had a 1.24 goals against average, with three shutouts and a save percentage of .788 for the Highlanders, who were 4-1-1 in Great West play and 7-8-2 overall.
Pasiciel, an anchor in the middle of NJIT’s back line, played in 15 games, with 14 starts, while Lunan, who played in 15 games with 13 starts, notched eight points on three goals and two assists.
NJIT will be the site of championship play with seven matches in four days, beginning with four matches on Friday, continuing with two semifinal matches on Saturday and concluding on Monday at 2 pm with the championship game.
Friday’s action will begin at 11:30 am, with Howard taking on South Dakota and continuing with a 2 pm matchup between West Division champion Utah Valley and Delaware State. Houston Baptist and South Carolina State will tangle at 5 pm and NJIT, first in the East during the regular season will take on North Dakota from the West Division at 7:30 pm.
The four winners from Friday will play through to the semifinals, which will be held Saturday at 5 pm and 7:30 pm. And, after a day off, the first Great West women’s soccer champion will be crowned in Monday’s 2 pm title game.
All games will be played on Lubetkin Field at J. Malcolm Simon Stadium with tickets available at the gate.