CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Junior Krista Kissell was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and was one of three Lafayette players named to the All-Patriot League teams, the conference office announced on Tuesday morning.

Kissell was joined on the first team by senior defender Caitlin Balmer marking the first time the Leopards have placed two players on the first team in a single season. Junior midfielder Sophie Saldivar was recognized on the third team.

Players are nominated for each of the positional and major award categories to comprise a ballot that is voted on by the 10 Patriot League Women's Soccer coaches. Kissell is the first player in program history to be recognized as the Offensive Player of the Year since the award was instituted in 1994. 

Heidi Caruso '94 was named the Patriot League MVP in 1991, Kelli Bennett was Rookie of the Year in 1997 and Lauren Smedley '13 won Goalkeeper of the Year honors in both 2010 and 2011. Head coach Mick Statham was also named the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2011.

Kissell led the Patriot League this fall with six assists and also scored four goals - including the game-winner in the Leopards 2-1 overtime victory at Colgate. Her 14 total points were second in the league to 2019 Midfielder of the Year Hannah Hoefs of Loyola Maryland. She was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week on September 9 and October 7. This is the second All-League honor for the Cresco, Pa. native following a third team nod in 2017 as a freshman. 

"She has become a well-rounded player," Statham said. "She made a conscious decision to make some adjustments, on the field and off the field, to really focus on becoming a threat and a player that is highly influential in the league and for the team. She has added so many layers to her game since she arrived here at Lafayette. She deserves a ton of credit for the amount of things she has done to become the best version of herself. It is pretty admirable."

A co-captain, Balmer, is a stalwart on the Lafayette back line and coordinates the defensive effort from her center back position. The Sherborn, Mass. native has played every minute, 1641 in all, for the Leopards in 2019 and all but 10 minutes over the past two seasons while starting 34 consecutive matches.

She was named the Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week on September 30 after helping spark Lafayette to a 2-0 win over rival Lehigh at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium. In addition to her outstanding defense in the shutout, Balmer scored her second career goal on a header in the 39th minute in the victory over the Mountain Hawks.

"Obviously, if you play every second of every game you have quality as a player," Statham said. "But her value to the team also extends to what she does off the field and in the locker room. She is a transformational leader for us who has been highly influential. She has led from the middle and has been a great defender while organizing tactically and communicating that out on the field. In order to give that information, you have to know what you are doing out there."

Saldivar enjoyed a breakout season for the Leopards this fall, finishing second in the Patriot League with six goals and tied for the league high with three game-winning tallies. After scoring a single goal as a sophomore, Saldivar teamed with Kissell to create a formidable duo in a Lafayette attack that led the league in goals per game with 1.41.  She was a named the Patriot League Midfielder of the Week on September 9 and November 4.

The Pasadena, Calif. native's third game-winner was arguably her biggest as she scored in the 87th minute of the Leopards win over Boston University in the season finale. The victory was not only the first ever over the Terriers but, more importantly, it propelled Lafayette into the Patriot League tournament for the third time in four seasons.

"When we talked about moving her to the attacking midfield spot, she had never played there much before," Statham said. "I played her there a little in 2018 and thought she was excellent. In the offseason we talked about whether she would be open-minded enough to move into that spot. Tactically, the way she finds space and adds to the front line naturally has been an absolute dream the way she has played the position."

The Patriot League Women's Soccer Tournament begins on Tuesday night as No.5 Lafayette will play at No. 4 Loyola Maryland and No. 6 Colgate travels to No. 3 Army West Point.  The two quarterfinal winners will travel to Annapolis, Md. for the semifinal round with the lowest seeded remaining team drawing No. 1 Navy and the high-seeded quarterfinal winner facing off with No. 2 Holy Cross in a doubleheader on Friday. 

The semifinal winners will play for the Patriot League championship at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 10. All three games on championship weekend will be played at the Mids' Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

2019 Patriot League Women's Soccer All-Patriot League Teams and Major Awards

Offensive of the Year: Krista Kissell, Lafayette, Jr., F
Midfielder of the Year: Hannah Hoefs, Loyola Maryland, Sr., M
Defensive Player of the Year: Alex Jackson, Navy, Sr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Sydney Cassalia, Army West Point, Jr., GK
Rookie of the Year: Kaitlynn Johns, Navy, Fr., D
Coach of the Year: Casey Brown, Holy Cross
 
First Team All-Patriot League*
Krista Kissell, Lafayette, Jr., F
Sarah Bayer, Loyola Maryland, So., F   
Kristina Dzhandshapanyan, Navy, Jr., F
Kelly Crowley, Holy Cross, Sr., M
Kayla Arestivo, Lehigh, Sr., M
Hannah Hoefs, Loyola Maryland, M
Cadie Higginson, Navy, Jr., M
Leah Lewis, Colgate, Sr., D
Caitlin Balmer, Lafayette, Sr., D
Alex Jackson, Navy, Sr., D
Sydney Cassalia, Army West Point, Jr., GK
Sydney Fortson, Navy, Sr., GK

 
Second Team All-Patriot League**
Alyssa Carfagano, Army West Point, Fr., F
Anna Heilferty, Boston University, Jr., F
Shannon Keefe, Boston University, Sr., F
Carly Flahive, Holy Cross, Sr., F
Hannah Pinkus, Colgate, So., M
Baseley McClaskey, Navy, Sr., M
Victoria Tran, Navy, So., M
Emily Torres, Army West Point, Jr., D
Ruby Diodati, Colgate, So., D
Julia Gray, Loyola Maryland, Jr., D
Sophia Lettieri, Holy Cross, Jr., GK
Paige Sim, Loyola Maryland, Fr., GK

Third Team All-Patriot League***
Maggie Wadsworth, Lehigh, Sr., F
Kaleigh Gallagher, Loyola Maryland, So., F
Jeana Freeman, Navy, Fr., F
Lauren Drysdale, Army West Point, Fr., M
Sage DiGiulio, Colgate, Jr., M
Sophie Saldivar, Lafayette, Jr., M
Asia Horne, American, Jr., D
Bridgette Dwyer, Holy Cross, Sr., D
Samantha Peters, Holy Cross, Sr., D
Annika Jansa, Lehigh, Sr., D
Avery Fries, Navy, So., D

Note: Teams are listed by position then alphabetical order by school
*Due to a tie in voting there are 12 student-athletes on the first- and second-team.
**Due to the tie for second-team goalkeepers, there is no goalkeeper on the third team.
***Due to a tie in voting there are 11 student-athletes on the third-team.