Women's Soccer Honors Continue to Mount as Five Saints Named to USC All-Region I Squad

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Emmanuel women's soccer continues to collect their after-season accolades as the Saints placed a program historic five players on the United Soccer Coaches (USC) NCAA Division III Women's All-Region I Team, as announced by the USC on Tuesday afternoon.

Sophomores Sarah Dullaghan (Belmont, Mass.), Gaby Baker (Grafton, Mass.), Annebel Balogh de Galantha (Grafton, Mass.), and Maya Daryanani (Raynham, Mass.), and first-year Ciara Horan (Braintree, Mass.) were recognized by the USC as some of the top players in Region I.

For Dullaghan, her nomination to the USC All-Region First Team makes her the first Saint in program history to be voted to the USC All-Region First Team. Prior to the announcement from the USC, the All-Region Second Team was the highest team any Saint had accomplished.

In Horan's nomination to the Third Team, she becomes the first first-year player in program history to be named to any of the USCs All-Region First, Second, or Third Team.

The trio of Baker, Balogh de Galantha, and Daryanani join only Kaylin Deschenes ('20) in team history to earn a USC All-Region Second Team nod after the former defender accomplished the feat in 2018. Deschenes was also nominated to the USC Third Team in 2019, along with teammate Natalie Dash ('20).

Dullaghan nets her first All-Region Team honors after leading the Saints with 50 points and 21 goals. The sophomore forward's 50 points led all of Region I while the 21 goals were tied for the most in the Region. Among NCAA Division III players, Dullaghan has the 10^th most points and 12^th most goals as of Nov. 29.

Baker, whose vote to the All-Region Team as a goalkeeper makes her the first in team history to be an All-Region Player in that position, led Region I with a 0.55 goals against average to go along with the second-most shutouts at 11 clean sheets and the fourth-best save percentage at 87.1 percent in the Region.

Balogh de Galantha helped anchor a backline that allowed just 11 goals to opponents all season, setting a new program best for the fewest goals allowed to opponents in a season. The sophomore center back proved to be a dual-threat player after adding six goals and three assists, totaling 15 points for the Saints in 2023.

Daryanani makes the USC Second Team Region I after a season of nine goals and five assists, good for 23 points in 2023. The second-year midfielder was tied for the second-most goals on the Saints while her team-leading four game-winning goals were tied for the sixth-most in Region I.

Horan's nomination to the Third Team makes her only one of three first-year players to make the USC All-Region I Teams. The rookie forward scored nine goals to go with eight assists for 26 total points. Horan was credited with four game-winners, tying her for sixth-most in the Region while her eight assists had her tied for ninth-most in Region I.

"The recognition of these players shows that the program is steadily on the right track for future success," said Head Women's Soccer Coach Francis Okaroh. "To be alongside some of the well-established names and programs in the NCAA and Region I is a testament to the quality of players receiving this honor and the level that we strive for as a program."

In total, 39 players are named to the All-Region I Teams, comprised of 12 forwards, 12 midfielders, 12 defenders, and three goalkeepers. The five Saints named to the All-Region I Team match the most by any school in Region I in 2023, joining Johnson & Wales and the University of Southern Maine, who also had five players named to the Region I team.

Only seven times prior has a Saints player been voted to an All-Region Team of any kind. Including the two USC nods for Deschenes and one for Dash, Kate McKenna ('10) earned Third Team d3kicks.com All-Region honors in 2007, 1^st Team All-NEWISA honors in 2008 and 4^th Team NSCAA honors in 2009 while Amber DiNucci ('11) also earned 4^th Team NSCAA honors in 2009.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE UNITED SOCCER COACHES ALL-REGION TEAM HONOREES