Gianna Coppola (midfielder of the year), Jess Hall (defensive player of the year), Alexandra Panasuk (goalkeeper of the year), and Ava Curtis (rookie of the year) took home major awards for the Lions, while Joe Russo was named coach of the year for the 10th time in his illustrious career.
The Lions' four major award recipients were joined on the All-NJAC first team by Amelia Curtis and Julia Obst, while Nikki Butler received honorable mention. Amelia Curtis, a second-team selection in 2019, and Butler, a second-team honoree in 2018, are the only players with prior all-league honors.
Coppola is TCNJ's second midfielder of the year in the last three seasons after Kelly Carolan took home the award in 2019. She is tied for the team lead with six goals on the year, one of them a world-class strike in a 2-2 draw at No. 2 Johns Hopkins, and has one assist. Coppola tops the team in shots (62) and shots on goal (26).
Hall has anchored one of the nation's top back lines, helping the Lions to limit their opponents to a measly four goals all season. She almost never comes off the field, playing every minute in 12 matches and leading the team with 1,347 minutes overall.
With a stout defense in front of her, Panasuk has been a steady presence between the pipes in her senior campaign. She boasts a 0.27 goals-against average, good for seventh in the nation, and has backstopped the Lions to the third-lowest tally of goals conceded in Division III. Panasuk has registered six solo shutouts and combined for seven others, and has saved 20 of the 24 shots on target against TCNJ this season.
Ava Curtis jumped into the starting lineup and thrived alongside Hall and Kristina Ng on the back line. She has started all but one game this fall, ranking third on the team in minutes played (1,146), and recorded two assists in a victory over NYU.
Curtis' older sister, Amelia, put an exclamation point on her standout career with a first-team laurel as one of the Lions' most creative playmakers in the midfield. She is tied with Gianna Minerva for the team lead with five assists and has added three goals, career highs in both categories.
Obst is part of a stable of attacking weapons for TCNJ, which boasts 13 players with multiple goals on the season. Obst has scored a career-high four of them this season to go along with a pair of assists.
Butler has started every game this season, scoring two goals. Both of her markers came in 3-1 victories over fellow NJAC semifinalists Rowan and Montclair State.
Russo added another coach of the year trophy to his legendary resume, shepherding the Lions to an undefeated regular season – the last of his storied career. The coach of the year nod is the first for Russo since back-to-back honors in 2016 and 2017. Russo is going for his 20th NJAC championship and has led TCNJ to a record 65 NCAA Tournament victories during his tenure in Ewing.
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Women's Soccer Puts 7 on All-NJAC Team; Lions Claim 5 Major Awards - The College of New Jersey Athletics - The College of New Jersey Athletics
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