Bucknell University Athletics
Women's Soccer Team Awards Announced
5/8/2014 12:27:00 PM | Women's Soccer
LEWISBURG, Pa. -- Bucknell head women's soccer coach Ben Landis recently announced the program's year-end awards, and a pair of juniors captured the team's offensive and defensive MVP honors. Midfielder Evelyn Nicinski earned the Offensive MVP award, while fullback Courtney Nelson was presented the Defensive MVP honor.
In addition, first-year goalkeeper Jessica Ratner won the Rookie of the Year Award, senior Liz Dwornik captured the Gibbons-Crane Award, and athletic trainer Fafa Tsikata won the Friends of Bucknell Soccer Award.
Nicinski was Bucknell's co-scoring leader in 2013 with 10 points on four goals and two assists, despite departing the team on two separate occasions to play with the Polish National Team during World Cup Qualifying in Europe. Nicinski earned Second Team All-Patriot League, Third Team NSCAA All-Region and Patriot League All-Academic Team honors this year.
Three of Nicinski's four goals came in Patriot League competition. In a four-day span in October she tallied the second-half equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Colgate and then had the game-winner in a 1-0 road win over Lafayette. Nicinski also scored goals against Lehigh and Mount St. Mary's, along with assists against Towson and Loyola. The Bison finished 5-0-1 this season when she registered a point.
A Third Team All-Patriot League selection this season, Nelson has played both outside back and outside midfield during her career and has excelled as both a defender and playmaker. Injuries played havoc with Bucknell's back line early in the 2013 season, so Nelson was shifted back right back to help fortify a young defense that would go on to post six shutouts. Nelson scored a goal in a season-opening win over Rider, and she has also handed out three assists, coming against Saint Francis (Pa.), Army and Holy Cross.
Ratner worked her way into the starting goalkeeper position in the latter third the season, and in six appearances (four starts) she posted a 2-1-1 record and yielded only two goals while making 17 saves. She finished with a paltry 0.40 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage. Ratner had a hand in three shutouts, including a dramatic 0-0 draw at Colgate in the Patriot League Tournament quarterfinals.
Dwornik started 15 games as an attacking midfielder and forward this season. She tallied a goal and four assists, and the goal was the game-winner in a 2-0 victory over Mount St. Mary's. Later in the year Dwornik assisted on all three Bucknell goals in a key come-from-behind 3-2 win at Lehigh. In her career, she tallied five goals and nine assists in 66 appearances.
The Bison women's soccer program was also proud that one of its prominent alumnae, Christina Baselga Murray '91, was presented the Alumni Achievement Award at the 2014 Senior Recognition Dinner.
As an undergraduate, Baselga Murray was instrumental in women's soccer elevating from club to varsity status in 1990, and she was a co-captain and key player for the Bison on that inaugural varsity team. Also a Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Baselga Murray went on to medical school, and in 1998 she began her career as a physician in Arlington, Virginia at the Arlington Internal Medicine PC, and she continue to thrive there today as a partner in the organization. In 2002 Baselga Murray became a team doctor for the Washington Freedom professional women's soccer club, and the following year she served as an on-site internist for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
Baselga Murray has been recognized for her achievements in the medical field and has been listed in the Washingtonian Top Doctors Magazine and the Northern Virginia Top Doctors Magazine.
The Bison women's soccer program recently completed a successful spring training session that was capped by a fun and well-attended Alumni Game in Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium. Landis' side was a 3-2 winner, led by former standouts Kelsey Johnson '11, Casey Crowley '12, Emily Trosch '13, Kelliann Doherty '11, Caitlin Holtz '11 and Christa Matlack '11.
The 2014 Bison squad will be captained by Nelson, Dana Calderone, Lauren Dandie and Devan Schulte. The team will report for preseason training on Aug. 9, with the first practice session slated for Aug. 10. The complete 2014 match schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.
