BY JONNY WALKER, STAFF WRITER
The Atlantic 10 Conference released its 2021 Women’s Soccer Postseason Awards Thursday, recognizing three St. Bonaventure University players.
The major awards, All-Conference Teams and All-Rookie Team were voted on by the A-10 women’s soccer coaches while the All-Academic Team was selected by the women’s soccer communications directors, according to the conference’s official website.
Graduate forward Cristina Torres, in her first season with the Bonnies, earned an All-Conference First Team selection and an All-Academic Team selection.
“I’m very grateful for the honors and they push me to aim higher for next season,” said Torres. “I feel thankful and motivated.”
Torres led the A-10 and ranked eleventh in Division I in goals with 13, placing her seventh on Bonaventure’s all-time, single-season list. The San Juan, Puerto Rico native also led the A-10 in shot accuracy (0.633), tied for the A-10 lead in game-winning goals (4), and ranked second in the A-10 in points (26). Torres complemented her on-field production with a 3.7 GPA in the classroom while pursuing an MBA.
“Going forward, I’m focused on training and looking to improve every day,” said Torres.
Freshman goalkeeper Chiara Gottinger earned an All-Conference Second Team selection and an All-Rookie Team selection.
“I really feel honored for receiving these awards,” said Gottinger. “It shows that I had a great season and that hard work pays off.”
Gottinger received four A-10 Rookie of the Week selections, a program record, en route to leading the conference in save percentage (0.832). The Pirching am Traubenberg, Austria native also led the conference and ranked 6th in Division I in saves with 119.
“All the attention is a little bit strange for me because in Austria you barely get attention as a female soccer player, said Gottinger.” “It makes me proud that my performance got recognized by the conference and it gives me confirmation that I made some right decisions in the past.”
Freshman forward Chanel Alexander, a Rochester, New York native, earned an All-Rookie Team selection.
“It was…amazing that my play this year was recognized by the conference—just to know that my time on the field did not go unnoticed,” said Alexander.
Alexander started 18 of 19 possible games this season, recording a goal and two assists.
“I did not expect such success so early in my career, said Alexander.” “Honestly in the beginning of this season practices were very competitive, and I knew that I had to work even harder to earn a spot on the field.”
With the help of their three first-year standouts, the Bonnies (7-8-4, 5-4-1) clinched the fifth seed in the A-10 tournament. It marked the program’s first tournament berth since 2013. The A-10’s preseason coach’s poll projected the Bonnies to finish last in the conference.
Despite the impact this trio of first-year players had on the pitch, they were quick to share the credit for the team’s success.
walkerjc20@bonaventure.edu
