William and Mary Senior Mallory Schaffer Repeats as CAA Player of the Year

Courtesy TribeAthletics.com

Thu, November 01, 2012

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - For the second year in a row, William and Mary senior co-captain Mallory Schaffer was honored as the Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year on Thursday night at the league's annual awards banquet.  The Allison Park, Pa., native joins former W&M standouts Missy Wycinski '99 and Claire Zimmeck '08 as the only individuals to repeat as the conference player of the year.  Additionally, Schaffer is the sixth student-athlete from the College to earn player of the year distinction.  In all, nine members of the Tribe were honored as All-CAA selections.

Joining Schaffer on the All CAA First-Team were seniors Cortlyn Bristol and Kiersten Harpe.  Junior Dani Rutter and sophomore Emily Fredrikson took home second-team accolades, while freshmen Nicole Baxter, Leci Irvin, Caroline Casey, and Barbara Platenberg garnered all-rookie team honors.

Despite consistently drawing the oppositions' best efforts defensively, Schaffer shined in 2012 as she ranked third in the CAA in points (23) and goals (10).  Her finest moment of the season occurred in the Green and Gold's pivotal match against Hofstra on Oct. 21.  Down 2-1 with less than three minutes remaining and with the league regular season title on the line, Schaffer netted the equalizer, and sent the contest into overtime en route to helping the College defeat Hofstra, 3-2.

Off the pitch, the awards and accolades accumulated for the All-American.  Before the start of the season, Schaffer was named to the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy Award Watch List for the second consecutive year.  Additionally, she was named one of 10 national finalists for the 2012 Senior Class Award.  On Sept. 3, she was named the league player of the week and earned a spot on Soccer America's Team of the Week after scoring two goals and registering an assist against Richmond and Auburn.  

A three-time All-CAA First-Team honoree, Schaffer has netted 41 goals and 96 points during her career, which rank sixth and seventh, respectively, most in school history.

Bristol earned a spot on the league's first team for the second year in row.  In arguably her most accomplished season in a Green and Gold uniform, the Chantilly, Va., native has tallied a nation-leading 13 assists to go along with five goals scored in 2012.  Against UNCW on Oct. 4, the preseason All-CAA selection tallied a career-high three assists in the College's decisive victory over the Seahawks.  

After scoring the game-winning goals and netting an assist in consecutive matches against George Mason and Towson, Bristol was named the CAA Player of the Week and earned a spot on TopDrawerSoccer.com's National Team of the Week.  Additionally, Bristol's 13 assists this season are tied with Ann Cook '97 for W&M's fifth-best single-season total, while her 28 career helpers are tied with Natalie Neaton '95 for fourth most in program history.

Harpe garners All-CAA First-Team distinctions for the first time in her career.  For the year, the Lake Mary, Fla., native has tallied two assists from her defensive position and was named to the Villanova All-Tournament team after an outstanding weekend on the pitch in Philadelphia, Pa.  The anchor of the Tribe's backline, Harpe has made 64 career starts in 70 appearances for the Green and Gold.    

Rutter, who ranks third on the team with 17 points coming on seven goals and three assists, headlined the College's second-team honorees.  On two occasions this season, the York, Pa., native scored a pair of goals in the College's victories over Old Dominion and UNCW.  For her efforts against the Monarchs, Rutter was named the CAA Player of the Week on Oct. 29.  This year's all-league accolade is the first of her career.  

For the second straight year, Fredrikson was named to the conference's second team after another impressive season on the College's line of defense.  Furthermore, Fredrikson tallied an assist in the Green and Gold's, 3-2, overtime win over Hofstra on Oct. 21.  For the season, the Ashburn, Va., native has started every match for the Tribe, which has only allowed 14 goals this season and ranks second in the CAA. 

Headlining the Tribe's representation on the all-rookie team was Baxter, who netted 10 points on four goals and two assists.  Joining the Pennington, N.J., native on the all-rookie squad was freshman keeper Caroline Casey.  Starting all 19 matches between the posts for the College, Casey's exceptional season has seen the Chesapeake, Va., native earn Tennessee and Villanova All-Tournament team honors.  In the CAA, she ranks second in goals against average (0.76) and save percentage (.837), while her six shutouts stand in third.

Also making impressive debuts this season were Irvin and Platenberg, who landed spots on the all-rookie team.  A starter since the season opener, Irvin has cemented herself as one of the Tribe's most consistent performers as the Charlottesville, Va., native tallied two assists in 19 contests.  Meanwhile, Platenberg demonstrated her skills early in the season en route to registering five points on two goals and an assist.  On Oct. 8., the Fairfax Station, Va., native was named the CAA Rookie of the Week after she scored a pair of goals in W&M's win over Georgia State. 

The Tribe will begin its quest for the program's 11th conference championship when it takes on Hofstra in Friday's second semifinal match.  The contest is scheduled to kick-off at Martin Family Stadium at Albert-Daly Field at 7:30 p.m.  Fans can follow the action online at TribeAthletics.com with live stats.  Additionally, CAASports.com will provide a video stream free of charge of Friday's semifinals and Sunday's championship match.