After concluding an impressive season and remaining undefeated in the Patriot League, the Boston University women’s soccer team took home three of the four major conference awards on Monday.
The Patriot League honored senior center back McKenzie Hollenbaugh with Defender of the Year, freshman striker McKenna Doyle with Rookie of the Year and senior goalkeeper Alyssa Parisi with Goalkeeper of the Year.
Hollenbaugh started all 18 games this season and accumulated 1,531 minutes of playing time, more than any other defender on the Terriers (10-5-3, 8-0-1, Patriot League). She was a leader for a BU defense which excelled this season and is a primary reason the Terriers shut out eight teams, which is the second most in the league.
“She is a phenomenal athlete,” said BU coach Nancy Feldman of Hollenbaugh. “She is a specimen physically. She is strong, fast and quick. She has one of the strongest [and] most competitive mentalities of any athlete I’ve ever coached. Her tenacity is off the charts. Every moment she’s in a defensive position is a win or lose moment and she’s keeping track.”
For her part, Doyle emerged as a strong player early in the season. The Manhattan Beach, California, native scored her first collegiate goal in a tough battle against Northeastern University five games into the season. She has since scored five more, and is seventh in the league in goals. She also has three assists on the season.
Feldman said she knew Doyle was special when she started recruiting her. She also said she was especially impressed by Doyle’s ability to make the jump from high school to Division I.
“She has speed, she’s agile and technically pretty proficient,” Feldman said. “She has room to grow, but she’s a very strong rookie. Rookies that make an impact their first year are special.”
Parisi finished her career as a Terrier with incredible numbers. She has the lowest goals-against average in the league (0.70), although this achievement is partially attributable to the defense. She has faced 152 shots this season, and saves 83.6 percent of the chances she faces, a percentage only bested by two other goalkeepers in the league.
Feldman acknowledges that there are a lot of great goalkeepers in the league, but believes Parisi stands out because she is proficient across the board.
“There is no big hole in her abilities,” Feldman said. “Her hands and ability in the air are good. She’s good on crosses and she’s a good shot stopper. She brings confidence, experience and poise to the table.”
Parisi was not always the phenom she was this year. Feldman said it’s taken a lot of work and specific training to get Parisi to where she is today, and Parisi invested herself in training and proved determined to improve her game.
Ten Terriers were named to the All-Patriot League First, Second and Third teams. Senior midfielder Clare Pleuler, senior striker Jenna Fisher and junior defender Rachel Bloznalis joined Parisi and Hollenbaugh on the First Team. Doyle made Second Team along with freshman midfielder Julianna Chen and senior midfielder Rachel Blauner. Sophomore striker Christina Wakefield and junior striker Erica Kosienski were named to Third Team.
“I’m not going to complain,” Feldman said. “We got three of the major awards, but in my heart, Jenna Fisher and Clare Pleuler have been critical to our success. I would have liked to see one of them as Offensive Player of the Year. They’ve been marvelous.”
While Feldman did not win Coach of the Year, she is on the list of 2015 inductees into the New England Soccer Hall of Fame.
Feldman has coached at BU for 21 seasons, and has received the honor of conference coach of the year 10 times. She has led the Terriers to two Patriot League championships in the past two years and hopes to do so again this weekend when BU hosts the Patriot League Tournament.
