Empire 8 All-Conference Teams

Empire 8 Championship Tournament Page

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (November 8, 2013) – The Empire 8 Conference released its end of the year awards and all-conference teams today for women's soccer and five members of the Stevens Institute of Technology squad found a spot on one of the three teams. Also, freshman Raba Nassif (Northvale, N.J.) was named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year.

Nassif becomes the fourth consecutive Stevens women's soccer player to be named Empire 8 Rookie of the Year after a stellar freshman campaign. She played in 15 matches with 13 starts for the 10-8 Ducks and ranked first on the team in assists with five, third in points with 13 and fourth in goals with four. Nassif tallied one game-winner in a 3-1 victory over Hartwick College on October 5.

She joins Bridgette Barden, Ann Heine and Carly Bean as conference Rookies of the Year over the past four seasons.

Nassif was also a first-team selection as was seniors Barden (Redondo Beach, Calif.) and Caitlyn Labonte (Northbridge, Mass.).

Barden, a four-time Empire 8 first-teamer, started all 18 contests for the Ducks this season and led the team in points (17) and goals (7). She also paced the squad with five game-winners and was tied for second with three assists. Within the Empire 8, Barden was tops in game-winners and seventh in points.

Labonte earned her first-ever first-team distinction as a back. She was a lockdown defender all season for the Ducks and anchored a defensive unit that posted five shutouts. In a 2-1 victory at St. John Fisher College on October 13, the Massachusetts native tallied the opening goal of the contest. Earlier this season, she was named Stevens Engineering Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Stevens and Ithaca College placed the most first-teamers on the all-conference list with three apiece.

Heine (Sammamish, Wash.), a second-team selection on the 2013 list, picked up her third all-conference honor today. The 2011 Rookie of the Year was a first-teamer last fall and second-team honoree her freshman season. She started and played in 14 matches this season with three goals and one assist for seven points. Heine recorded a game-winner against Ramapo College on September 11.

Senior Becky Wos (Mukwonago, Wis.) picked up her second-straight honorable mention nod as a midfielder and back. Despite playing in only 13 contests with seven starts, Wos registered two goals in 11 shots (six on goal). Against Houghton College on September 21, she put away the game-winner in a 3-1 victory.

Each of the nine member schools selects a Sportswoman of the Year and Stevens' recipient went to sophomore Bean (Williamson, N.Y.), last season's Rookie of the Year.

The Ducks head to Ithaca this weekend for the conference tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Stevens, the No. 3 seed, opens against No. 2 Nazareth at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. If victorious, Stevens will play the winner of top-seeded Ithaca and No. 4 St. John Fisher on Sunday at noon. All action this weekend can be followed via Ithaca live stats and webcast on Empire8.tv.

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