WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Liz Donovan (Nashua, N.H.) and Cíara Forde (Quincy, Mass.) and were both named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Second Team, while Lauren Brandau (Madison, Conn.), Mikayla Elliott (Lowell, Mass.), Kashka Gammon (Nashua, N.H.) and Jessie Pratt (Westfield, Mass.) were tabbed Third Team selections, it was announced today by the league. Simmons Soccer also earned the Institutional Sportsmanship Award and junior Erin Fleming (West Boylston, Mass.) was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
The Sharks' total of six honorees equals the most named to the All-GNAC squad since Simmons had a half dozen players chosen following the 2013 campaign.
Donovan is one of three backs named to the second team after leading all Sharks defenders with a career-high three goals, including a game-winner. The back started 18 of 19 matches for Simmons and was the team's primary option on free kicks outside of the 18-yard box. A Graphic Design and Web Development and Design major, Donovan netted the game-winner in overtime vs. Albertus Magnus College on October 4. The senior was also a strong defensive player, helping the Sharks limit opponents to one or fewer goals on 12 occasions, including seven shutouts.
The Bishop Guertin product started 63 of 71 matches that she played in her career, while picking up nine points on four goals and an assist. Donovan was named to the GNAC All-Academic team in each of her last two years as well.
Forde earns Second Team honors for the second straight season after leading Simmons with 10 goals and ranking second with 24 points. The junior started 17 of 18 contests and ranked ninth in overall points and 10th in goals among conference leaders. The midfielder was one of two players for the Sharks to net multiple game-winners, including the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over University of Massachusetts Dartmouth on October 18. Forde tallied multiple goals on three occasions and put together a four-match streak with at least one point from September 16-27, where she tallied 12 points during the stretch. A graduate of North Quincy High School, Forde racked up five points at Anna Maria College on September 27 to match her career high.
For her career, the Physical Therapy major has 47 career points to rank 11th all-time at Simmons, while her 19 goals put her 10th. She has started 52 of 56 matches she's appeared in and also has nine lifetime assists and five game-winning scores. Forde earned GNAC All-Academic honors last year in her first year of eligibility for the accolade.
Brandau receives All-Conference recognition for the first time in her career. The physical midfielder tallied three points on the year with three assists and was one of the most imposing players in the league in the midfield this year. The junior was one of just four players to start all 19 matches for the Sharks and the team was unbeaten in matches she notched at least one point, going 2-0-1, including an assist on the game-winner at UMass Dartmouth.
The Daniel Hand High School graduate has started 37 of 38 matches she's appeared in since joining the team last year and has totaled seven points on two goals and three assists. In addition, the Physical Therapy major earned a spot on the GNAC All-Academic squad last year.
Elliott also garners her first All-GNAC nod after enjoying a career year, where she led Simmons with 25 points to place her ninth on the league leaderboard, while her seven assists were the second-most for a GNAC player and her nine goals put her 10th. The forward started all 19 matches and was one of three players in the conference to have at least nine goals and seven assists. Elliott strung together a six-match streak with at least one point and racked up 19 points over that span from September 23 to October 11. A graduate of Bishop Guertin High School, the third-year player contributed to multiple goals with either a score or an assist on five occasions, including a career-best mark of six points on two goals and two assists at Anna Maria.
She ranks 14th in school annals with 38 career points and 13th with 15 goals, while starting all 57 games of her tenure at the Fenway School. The Nursing major also has a pair of game-winning tallies and was named to the All-Academic Team following last season.
Gammon wraps up an outstanding career for the Sharks, being named to the All-Conference team for the third straight year. The midfielder ranked second on the team with 24 points, nine goals and six assists and tied for the team lead with a pair of game-winners. Gammon placed 10th among conference leaders in both points and goals and was sixth in assists. The senior tallied multiple goals three times during the year, including her second career hat trick with three markers at Anna Maria. She also netted the game-winner at Emmanuel College (Mass.) in the team's 2-0 victory in the GNAC Championship Tournament Quarterfinals.
A Nursing major, she started 68 of 75 matches to give her the fourth-most games played over the past decade-plus at Simmons. Gammon was named to the GNAC First Team as a junior and to the Second squad following her sophomore campaign. She ranks fifth in career points with 81 and fourth with 32 goals, while standing fifth with 17 assists. Gammon made her goals count, striking for 10 lifetime game-deciding markers.
Pratt earns Third Team accolades after serving as the team's center back. She was also one of the select few to start all 19 matches for the Sharks helped contribute to the Sharks' 1.39 goals against average for the fourth-lowest mark in the conference. The senior was part of a defensive backfield that allowed a respectable 12.2 shots per game.
A Co-Captain, Pratt started all 76 matches of her career for the most starts by any player at Simmons over the last decade-plus. A Mathematics major, she was named to the GNAC All-Academic team in both seasons that she's been eligible for the honor.