November 26, 2011
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
NEC women honor LIU's Bannon

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Long Island University junior Jennifer Bannon was named the Northeast Conference goalkeeper of the year as the Blackbirds saw six players earn all-conference honors.

Bannon was joined on the All-NEC girst yeam by senior forward Ariana Calderon and junior defender Katie Egan while sophomore midfielder Jen Spicer earned a spot on the All-NEC second team. Freshmen Sydney Ciufo and Shannon O’Conner garnered NEC all-rookie team recognition.

Long Island earned NEC goalkeeper of the year honors for the second year in a row, but this season it was Bannon getting the nod after Jessica Sexton was honored last season. Bannon has posted a 1.07 goals-against average while recording 65 saves en route to four shutouts. Bannon was named NEC defender of the week four times, with her most impressive effort coming against Ivy League opponent Harvard, where she made a season high 10 saves to preserve a 2-1 LIU victory. Bannon also led LIU to a seven-game winning streak to end the regular season. During this stretch the East Greenwich, R.I., native surrendered one goal in three games and helped the Blackbirds post shutouts in the remaining four.

The Blackbirds pick up a pair of first teamers in Calderon and Egan. Egan was part of a solid backfield which only allowed 19 goals in 18 games and posted five shutouts in regular-season play. After the regular season, Calderon led the team and ranked second in the NEC in assists (six), and was third in goals (nine) and points (24). The California product earned NEC player of the week honors twice. She received her latest honor this past weekend for a seven-point performance over a span of two games in which she helped the Blackbirds secure the second seed in the league tournament. Calderon is the all-time scoring leader at Long Island with 67 points.

Spicer was the lone Blackbird to earn a place on the All-NEC second team. The sophomore has nearly quadrupled her freshman year point total with seven goals and one assist for 15 points. The seven tallies tied her for fourth in the conference.

Long Island grabbed two spots on the NEC all-rookie team with honorees O’Conner and Ciufo. O’Conner, a defender-midfielder, posted an assist in the fourteen games she has played in as a freshman while Ciufo, a midfielder, has scored once
and handed out two assists for four points in her first year as a Blackbird.