SAINTS LAND FIVE ON GNAC ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM; DESCHENES & GAWRON GARNER MAJOR AWARDS

WINTHROP, Mass. – Five players from the Emmanuel College women's soccer team were honored Monday morning earning Great Northeast Athletic Conference All-Conference honors as announced by the conference office. Seniors Mikayla Guthrie (North Andover, Mass.), Kayla Generis (Wethersfield, Conn.) and juniors Natalie Dash (East Hampton, Conn.), Kaylin Deschenes (Lynn, Mass.) and Lexi Gawron (South Hadley, Mass.) were all named to the GNAC All-Conference First Team, marking just the second time in GNAC history, and the first time since the conference went to a First/Second/Third team format that five+ players earned First Team honors. Additionally, Deschenes was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year while Gawron was tabbed the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year.

Gawron earned GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team honors after posting the best season statistically in net in program history for Emmanuel, wrapping up the year with a league-low 0.68 goals against average over 1,463 minutes of work. Her .855 save percentage was also best in the GNAC while her seven shutouts ranked second in the conference. The junior posted 13 wins between the pipes and was named the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week on two separate occasions. Gawron was tabbed to the 2018 GNAC Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team after making 20 saves over two games for a .952 save percentage including a career-high 14 stops in the GNAC Semifinals.

Over her career with the Saints, Gawron has appeared in 42 games, earning 31 starts and compiled 20 wins and a combined 14 shutouts (10/4). She's posted a 1.24 cumulative goals against average to go along with a .771 save percentage, making 135 total saves in 2,911 minutes of action.

Along with her First Team selection, Deschenes becomes the first Defensive Player of the Year in EC program history following a standout campaign that saw the junior transition from her forward role last season into the backfield. The move paid off as Deschenes powered the Saints defensive unit to the best backfield in the league, collecting a program-record 10 shutouts to go along with a conference-best 0.79 goals against average over 20 contests. Deschenes was also a force going forward, leading the GNAC among defensive players with 12 points on five goals and two assists. She was named to the 2018 GNAC Women's Soccer All-Tournament Team after helping the Saints post a 0.48 goals against average in the tournament.

In her three years at Emmanuel, Deschenes has played in 57 contests, starting 46 while registering 31 points on 11 goals and nine assists.

Dash earned First Team honors as a forward for the first time in her career following a standout junior campaign. The Connecticut native ranked tied for eighth in the GNAC in points (26) and shared the conference lead in assists with eight. Her nine goals were tied for 13^th in the GNAC and two of the scores were game-winners. The junior put together an incredible eight-game scoring streak early in the season, netting a goal in eight consecutive games from September 4^th through September 22^nd. The Saints posted an 11-1 record in games when Dash registered at least one point including a 6-0 mark in games she dished out an assist. Dash was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll twice during the season.

Through three seasons, Dash has totaled 40 points on 14 goals and 12 assists in 58 career appearances.

Generis earns All-Conference honors for the second straight season, earning First Team honors after a Second Team appearance last year. The senior closed out her career with the strongest season of her EC tenure, notching career-highs in goals (10), assists (6) and points (26) to rank tied for eighth in the GNAC in points, tied for ninth in goals and tied for fifth in assists. 25 of her points came in GNAC play, ranking second-most in conference action and she shared the conference lead with four game-winning goals in GNAC action. Generis was named to the GNAC Weekly Honor Roll twice during the season

Generis graduates with 67 points to crack the Top-10 all-time in program history. Her 26 goals rank eighth and her 15 assists put her at 11^th all-time.

Guthrie closes out her career with a First Team All-Conference season following a season of career-highs. The North Andover, Mass. native ranked first on the team and second in the GNAC with 35 points on 14 goals and seven assists, both career-highs. She ranked third in the conference in goals tied from third in the conference in assists. Her .389 shooting percentage led the GNAC among players with at least 15 points and during the year, the senior recorded a pair of game-winning goals. On September 12, Guthrie tied the Emmanuel single-game record with five goals in a 7-0 victory over Newbury College, scoring four of the tallies in the second half en route to a GNAC Weekly Honor Roll nod.

Guthrie caps her Emmanuel career with 62 points on 24 goals and 14 assists.

Emmanuel sophomore Emma Johnson (Ellington, Conn.) was also honored by the GNAC as a member of the 2018 Women's Soccer All-Sportsmanship team.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ENTIRE 2018 GNAC WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

The Saints become the first program since the 1996 Simmons team to have five players garner first team All-Conference honors and are the first program to have five players dawn first-team honors since the conference went to a three-team All-Conference format back in 2008.

Emmanuel wraps the 2018 campaign with an overall record of 14-6, posting a 9-3 mark in GNAC play to earn the No. 4 seed in the GNAC postseason tournament. The Saints advanced to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since 2015 before falling to the No. 1 seed Lasell College, 1-0, in overtime. EC graduates just four seniors from the 2018 roster and will look to build off of a strong campaign under first-year Head Coach Greg Visinho over the off-season.