All-Conference selections added to historic season

Adding to a first-ever national ranking, regular season SUNYAC title and the many other accolades in 2012, the Brockport women’s soccer team now has five members on the 2012 All-SUNYAC team.

The five women selected were junior forward Vanessa Gillette, senior midfielder Kaila Maguire, junior midfielder Annie Terilli, senior defender Gina Laing and junior midfielder Katie Dykes. The five selections are the most for the Brockport women’s soccer program since 2007, when the Eagles also had five selections.

Junior forward Vanessa Gillette is the first of the five women selected and was chosen first-team All-SUNYAC.

Gillette is in her first year with the Golden Eagles after transferring to Brockport from Jamestown Community College. Gillette also played soccer at Monroe Community College (MCC) in 2010 and 2011, scoring a combined 17 goals.

At the conclusion of the regular season, she led Brockport and the SUNYAC in goals and points with 16 and 37, respectively. Gillette was also No. 24 in Division III for total goals, No. 25 in D-III for points (37) and No. 6 in D-III for game winning goals (six).

During the course of the regular season she won the SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Week award twice Sept. 24 and Oct. 15. The Sept. 24 award was given to Gillette after she scored a hat trick against Fredonia Sept. 22. The hat trick was the first of her career.

Gillette received the Oct. 15 award for scoring four goals in a three game stretch against Wells College, Cortland and Oswego Oct. 9, 12 and 13.

In spite of all this, Gillette said winning an individual award was not as big of a deal as winning a team award.

“I can’t do what I do without everyone on my team backing me up, so I don’t even think individual awards should be given,” she said.

Brockport’s next member of the All-SUNYAC team is senior midfielder Kaila Maguire. Maguire moved up to second-team All-SUNYAC after being selected third-team in 2011.

During the regular season, Maguire was fourth on the team in goals behind Gillette, junior midfielder Katie Gildemeyer and senior midfielder Sarah Lawson after scoring four goals. She was also second on the team in assists with eight, just behind Lawson.

Together the four goals and eight assists gave Maguire 16 points. She now has a total of 37 for her career.

Junior midfielder Annie Terilli, senior defender Gina Laing and junior midfielder Katie Dykes are the final three Eagles selected All-SUNYAC. The trio was placed on the third team.

Terilli transferred into Brockport after spending two seasons at MCC. She contributed four of Brockport’s 56 total goals, had five assists and 13 points.

Dykes registered one goal for Brockport, which she scored at Nazareth in a 3-2 win for the Eagles. The victory was Brockport’s first at Nazareth in 18 years. She is the third member of the All-SUNYAC team for Brockport who is also a former player at MCC.

Dykes said she has been truly blessed to be a part of the Brockport roster.

“The game of soccer is not an individual sport, it involves many intricate pieces to create a united front,” she said. “I am proud to be a part of something that is bigger than just myself.”

She said Brockport’s defense has been very successful due to the fact that the whole team is supportive and works together, and as a result, Brockport is a force to be reckoned with.  

In her last season as an Eagle, Laing scored one goal and helped the Brockport defense hold opponents to 14 goals and shut out eight teams. Laing also helped the defense hold just four opponents to more than one goal.

Together the five All-SUNYAC selections and the rest of the Brockport team played its way to a 14-1-2 record, a Division III No. 25 ranking, which turned into No. 20, and a regular season SUNYAC title. The ranking was the program’s first in school history.

Maguire, Terilli, Dykes and Laing said they were proud to be selected, but they also said they believe more members of the Eagles should have been selected All-SUNYAC.

“Our team should have definitely had more members on the teams because we were the No. 1 seed and have quality players,” Terilli said. “I think we’re not getting enough credit because we haven’t won the regular conference in history.”

Maguire said Brockport should have had more selections to first and second-teams, but the choice is out of its hands and Brockport is happy with the five who did make it.

“Everyone works hard and I believe everyone on my team deserves to be on that first team list,” Gillette said. “We all contribute in different ways, but we still all contribute. It’s all about 32 strong, not me.”