 Three Explorers Selected To Women's College Best XI
Jan. 1, 2010
PHILADELPHIA - Philly Soccer News recently announced its Women's College Best XI which was presented by the Philadelphia Independence and three La Salle Women's Soccer players were among the 13 total local players honored by the organization. Penn State led the overall selection with five honorees, but the Explorers three, who all played their final season for the Blue and Gold, Melanie Gamble, Ally Kenney, and honorable mention Traci DePasquale, was the second most, while Villanova and Penn had two players recognized, and Bucknell one. Gamble, selected as a midfielder, had an outstanding final season, tallying seven goals and three assists in 2009 for 17 points, which helped her earn an Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team selection. For her career, Gamble had 18 career goals, which were the eighth most in a career at the school, 11 assists, and 47 points. Kenney, a defender, had a career year in her final season, scoring five goals and adding nine assists for 19 points. The nine assists were third in the Atlantic 10 Conference and fifth-most in a single season at the school. She ended her career at La Salle with nine goals and 14 assists for 32 points. The 14 helpers are tied for the eighth-most ever in a career at the school.
With this selection, it marks the fifth honor Kenney has picked up for her work on and off the field in 2009. She was an A-10 All-Conference Second Team selection, and earned three academic honors, A-10 All-Academic, Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area, and CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 First Team. DePasquale, an honorable mention at forward, continues to pile up the awards as this is her seventh of the season. Her previous awards include three athletic and three academic honors. She was named to the NCSAA's All Mid-Atlantic Region Third Team, the ECAC's All-Star Second Team, and the A-10's First Team. Academically, she was selected to the A-10 All-Academic Team, CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine All-District 2 Second Team, and the NCSAA's Scholar All-East Region Third Team. Her numbers in 2009 alone include finishing as the Atlantic 10 Conference's leader in assists with 12, tied for second in points with 30, and she was third in goals with nine. She accounted for 30 of the Explorers 99 points during the season. In a single season at the school, those numbers put her in a tie for the top spot all-time in assists with Tracey Spinelli (2000), sixth in points, and tied for 10th in goals.
She finished her career at La Salle first in games played (81), tied for first in games started (76), second in points (88) and assists (30), third in goals (29), and fifth in shots (163). To view the entire Philly Soccer News Women's College Best XI presented by the Philadelphia Independence, click here. |
