All-Centennial Conference Team

LANCASTER, Pa. – Six members of the NCAA Division III Tournament-bound Gettysburg College women's soccer team have been to the All-Centennial Conference Team, it was announced Wednesday.
 
Earning first-team recognition were senior defender Meg Castranova (Pennington, N.J./Pennington), junior goalie Eliza Gray (South Orange, N.J./Columbia), and senior midfielder Molly Phillips (Yardley, Pa./Pennsbury); capturing second-team laurels were senior forward Brigid Behan (Newport, R.I./Portsmouth Abbey) and junior defender Cailin DiGiacomo (Lafayette Hill, Pa./Germantown Academy); and gaining honorable mention was senior forward Georgia Ferguson (Bethel, Conn./Bethel).
 
In addition, head coach Matt Garrett was honored as the Coach of the Year after his squad finished undefeated in the Centennial Conference at 9-0-1 and earned its first NCAA tournament bid since 2004. He becomes the first women's soccer coach at Gettysburg to garner the award, which started 2008.
 
Garrett led the Bullets (13-4-1) to their first national ranking in nine years when they were slotted 19th following their 2-1 Centennial Conference victory at Johns Hopkins University, which was ranked sixth in the nation at the time. Gettysburg also captured the top seed in the Centennial Conference tournament and the right to host the conference playoffs for the first time since 2004.
 
Castranova, DiGiacomo, and Gray, along with senior defender Mary Kamovitch (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe), have fronted a defense that has posted 12 shutouts – one shy of the school record set last season – and limited its opponents to 11 goals in 18 games. The Bullets, who lead the Centennial Conference with a 0.60 goals-against average, have yielded more than one goal just twice all season, have held their opponents to 5.8 shots per game, and have allowed just 2.7 shots on goal per contest.
 Castranova, who has started all 18 matches, was named all-conference for the third year in a row after earning second-team recognition in each of the last two seasons. She also contributed offensively with two assists. DiGiacomo, also a starter in every game, was a first-time all-conference selection.
 
Gray also garnered her third-consecutive All-CC nod, and also received first-team recognition for the first time after landing second-team honors in each of the past two seasons. Gettysburg's goalie of record in every game, she has posted a 0.63 goals-against average and a .766 save percentage to go with nine shutouts. She was even stingier in Centennial Conference play, allowing just two goals over 888 minutes during the regular season for a 0.20 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage.
 
Phillips came away with her second all-conference award after landing second-team recognition during her freshman season. Despite missing the last two games she is third on the team in goals (four), second in assists (three) and tied for third in points (11). Three of her goals were game-winners, including her penalty kick in the Bullets' 1-0 victory over Swarthmore College.
 
Behan was a repeat all-conference selection after capturing honorable mention a year ago. She is tied for fourth on the team with three goals, two of which have been Centennial Conference game-winners. She scored the only goal in a 1-0 win over Dickinson College and also notched the game-winner in Gettysburg's victory at Johns Hopkins.
 
Ferguson picked up her first career all-conference honor after tying for the team lead with five goals on the season. She scored in three straight matches late in the season, posting one goal apiece in victories over Bryn Mawr College (4-0), McDaniel College (2-1), and Muhlenberg College (2-0). Her lone assist on the season was a big one, as it led to the game-winning goal at Johns Hopkins.
 
The Bullets will travel to Messiah on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. to take on Capital University in the first round of the NCAA tournament. With a victory, Gettysburg would play the winner of Messiah and Brooklyn College in the regional final back at Messiah on Sunday at 5 p.m.