McLaughlin Becomes First Blue Devil Named to Women's Soccer All-America Team
McLaughlin was named to the All-America Second Team.
Central Connecticut women's soccer player Roma McLaughlin was named to the Division I Women's Soccer All-America Second Team, it was announced by the United Soccer Coaches at the College Cup banquet in San Jose, Calif Thursday night. McLaughlin is the first player in program history to receive this honor.
A total of 51 players received All-America recognition this year and will be formally acknowledged for their accomplishments at the United Soccer Coaches All-America Ceremony & Reception on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020 at the Baltimore Convention Center in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention.
The sophomore co-captain has earned multiple awards this season. McLaughlin was a United Soccer Coaches All-North Region First-Team selection, making her eligible for All-America honors. She was named the 2019 Northeast Conference Midfielder of the Year and named to the All-Conference First-Team for the second straight year. The CCSU midfielder was named NEC Player of the Week two times this season (Sept. 10 & Oct. 22).
McLaughlin led the Blue Devils with 23 points and 10 goals, quintupling her number of goals from her rookie season and four points shy of tripling her single-season point total. The Greencastle County Donegal, Ireland native played in 18 games posting 17 starts, the same number of appearances she made as a freshman.
She scored four of Central's 10 goals scored against non-conference opponents including the game-winner against Iona and the lone goal in the 1-1 tie against Siena. In conference play, McLaughlin scored four goals in three matches scoring twice against Wagner and Merrimack.
Her 10th goal led Central to its second straight NEC Title with a 1-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 10. The win gave the Blue Devils an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history.
McLaughlin had a .774 shots on goal percentage and finished second in the NEC in points, goals, and game-winners. In the nation, she finished in the top 100 in four categories. McLaughlin ranked 60th in the nation on goals per game (0.56), 77th in total goals (10), 88th in points per game and 99th in total points (23).
The Blue Devils closed the 2019 season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 1-0 double-overtime loss to West Virginia. The team finished with a 13-5-4 overall record and 8-1-1 in conference play.
