Four Blue Devils Invited to 2019 NEWISA Senior Bowl

Four members of the Central Connecticut women's soccer team were chosen for the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Senior Bowl. Seniors Shauny Alterisio, Emily Hogan, Allyson O'Rourke and Yo Tachibana were picked to represent the Blue Devils in the annual senior showcase game.

The NEWISA Senior Bowl is scheduled for December 7 at 12:00 p.m. on the campus of Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. The game features seniors from colleges and universities in New England across all three NCAA divisions.

Alterisio was recently selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-North Region Second Team for the second straight year. She was crowned the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season, marking the sixth consecutive year a Blue Devil has earned the award, earning her a spot on the All-NEC First Team. At center of the defensive line, Alterisio helped Central post nine shutouts and hold an impressive home record of 9-0-1. She totaled five points in her senior season with a game-winner at Mount St. Mary's and three assists.

Hogan, an All-NEC First Team selection, started all 17 matches she played this season. She was third on the team in points (17) and second in assists (7). The Warwick, RI native held a .579 shots on goal percentage and had the game-winner in the NEC Semifinal match against Sacred Heart. In her career, she played in 75 games making 72 starts totaling 28 points (6g, 16a).

O'Rourke played in all 22 games this season with 16 starts. She ended the season fourth on the team in points (14) and tied for second in goals (5). Her .706 shots on goal percentage helped her score four goals in conference play including the game-winner in Central's 3-0 shutout over LIU. O'Rourke appeared in 47 career games totaling 5 goals and four assists. She was one of the four Blue Devils named to the NEC All-Tournament Team.

Tachibana was named the NEC Tournament MVP and appeared in 14 games in her senior campaign. She totaled eight points with two goals and four assists. In totaled six points in a three game swing scoring against LIU, posting two assists in CCSU's 5-0 shutout over Merrimack, and scoring in the 5-2 win against RMU. Tachibana played a key role in Central finishing as the regular season champions with an 8-1-1 record in the NEC. In her three years with the Blue Devils she totaled 20 points with six goals and eight assists.

Central Connecticut's four selections to the 2019 NEWISA Senior Bowl was tied for the most among the New England schools; they were tied with New Hampshire, which also had four selections. Other schools with selections included Boston College, Brown, Bryant, UConn, Hartford, Holy Cross, Providence URI, Vermont, and Yale.