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Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2006
THREE NAMED TO NSCAA ALL-NEW ENGLAND REGION TEAM
Defenders Gaudette, Lambert, Read give Warriors record number of picks
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Defenders Nicole Gaudette (Colchester), Melissa Lambert (Montville) and Michelle Read (Wallingford) represent women’s soccer on the 2006 National Soccer Coaches’ Association of America (NSCAA) All-New England Region Team.
The three selections are the most ever in a season for Eastern, which has been represented with seven selections this decade and 16 overall since 1988. Until this year, only one previous player – Yvette Broderick in 1996 and 1997 – had ever represented Eastern on the all-region team at the defender position.
Gaudette, a first-year sophomore, was named to the second team while seniors Lambert and Read were third-team selections.
A total of 19 institutions were represented with at least one selection, with only Amherst (5) and Western Connecticut State University (4) receiving more than Eastern’s three selections (Wheaton College matched Eastern with three). Western was ranked first in the final New England regular-season poll, Amherst fourth. Eastern was not ranked.
In addition to her all-region honor, Lambert was also a second-team selection to the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Division III All-New England team. Read was earlier announced as a selection to the NEWISA Senior Classic, which was held Dec. 3 at Merrimack College.
Behind the all-region trio, Eastern allowed only 15 goals in 20 matches this year, with its 0.73 goals-against average the second-best in the Little East Conference, seventh best among New England Division III schools, and among the top 50 (45th) in Division III. Seventeen times, the Warriors gave up one goal or none and their ten shutouts were one shy of the season record.
Gaudette was a first-year transfer from Division I Central Connecticut State University, where knee problems limited her to one assist in 11 matches off the bench in 2005. This past fall, she began the season at midfield but later move to defense. She started 18 of the team’s 20 matches and had six goals, four assists and 16 points. She led the team in points and shared the team lead in assists. Two of her goals were game-winners and came in conference play.
A four-year letterwinner, Lambert appeared in every match for the third time. She started all 20 matches and led the team for the second straight year in minutes (1,711) and average minutes (85.6). She contributed three assists.
Read was considered to be the team’s best offensive and defensive player this year, starting all 20 matches and finishing second on the team in minutes (1,650) and average minutes (82.5). A third-year letterwinner and fifth-year member of the program, Read played the first half of the season as the team’s starting center back, then moved to the front line to bolster a sagging offense. Entering the year, she had managed only two assists. This year, she had seven goals and 15 points leading the team in goals (tied for tenth in the conference) and placing second in points. Four of her goals were game-winners (tying for third-most in the conference), three coming in succession against Keene State, Johnson & Wales and UMass Boston. 
Read appeared in only three matches as a freshman in 2003, and missed all of the 2004 season with a knee injury. As a junior in 2005, she started all 18 matches in which she appeared for a 12-6-2 team which went undefeated (6-0-1) in winning its first outright conference regular season title. That team won its second conference tournament title in three years, enabling it to qualify for its second NCAA tournament in three years.
Despite losing three of its top scorers and the starting keeper from a year ago, Eastern matched its 2005 record this season. The Warriors were 6-1 in conference play in the regular season, improving their regular-season LEC record to 34-5-3 over the past six years under head coach Chris D’Ambrosio. In that six-year period, Eastern leads all conference teams in regular-season wins (34) and winning percentage (84.3) and has matched Keene State and Western Connecticut with two conference playoff championships. The Warriors have never finished lower than second in those six years.
Earlier this year, Gaudette, Read and Lambert were named to the all-conference first team, with Read being additionally honored as LEC co-Defensive Player-of-the-Year. It was Lambert’s third time on the all-conference team, second on the first team.
