NEW YORK | The toast of the conference is the toast of the all-conference, too.
The Skyline Conference women’s soccer champions are heavily represented on the 2022 all-conference team. The 12 head women's soccer coaches have cast their votes and Sarah Lawrence sweeps the major awards. Forward Cora Colvin (pictured below) is the Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Lainie Cadieux is the Defensive Player of the Year and fellow Gryphon standout Viktoria Balbin is Rookie of the Year in the balloting process. The trio’s mentor, Maurizio Grillo, has been named Coach of the Year for a third time in voting by his peers.
SLC (14-3-3) ended a five-year streak of Farmingdale State (10-9-4) winning the Skyline Conference Championship. The Rams have had such a stranglehold on winning the conference postseason tournament, as they had won 13 out of the previous 14 tournament titles.
The Gryphons remained unblemished this season against league opponents going 10-0-2 with both ties being to Farmingdale State, including the championship final, which was decided by PKs.
Colvin finished with 13 goals on the season, trailing fellow all-conference selections Mia Castaneda of St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, Cassidy Jester of USMMA and Mia Almonte of Old Westbury, respectively. She also finished in the top five in assists and points, guiding SLC to its first-ever tournament crown. The Gryphons draw MIT in the First Round of the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
SLC’s defense, ranked the best in the league, allowed only 15 goals and was anchored by Cadieux (above). She joins five teammates on the all-conference First Team, including keeper Bridgette Lee, Colvin, Daniela Perez, Lily Matalus and Balbin. In addition to her defensive prowess, Cadieux also had three game-winning goals on the season, finishing with seven for the fall – the same total as newcomer Balbin (below). The two followed Colvin in the team stats, providing a star trio for Grillo.
Grillo (below), who took the helm of SLC in 2017, previously garnered Coach of the Year in 2018 and 2019.
“Defense is clearly a key part of my strategy, having conceded only three goals across all conference games played in 2022," Grillo told GoGryphons.com after the championship win against the Rams. "For our games against FSC, we studied their game through video analysis, which allowed us to tailor our defensive strategy to their style of play. I'm very proud of my defensive team's effort, which was led by senior Lainie Cadieux, especially how they translated our strategy into action.”
SLC totaled seven student-athletes between the two all-conference teams. League runner up, FSC, follows with six, including five standouts of its own on the First Team.
2022 Skyline Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference Team
First Team
Cora Colvin, So., F - Sarah Lawrence
Emily McCarthy, Sr., F - Mount Saint Vincent
Mia Castaneda, So., F - St. Joseph's-Brooklyn
Viktoria Balbin, Fr., F - Sarah Lawrence
Alyse Rivera, Fr., F - Farmingdale State
Abbey Curcio, Sr., M - St. Joseph’s-Long Island
Lily Matalus, So., M - Sarah Lawrence
Alicia Rodriguez, So., M - Mount Saint Vincent
Mackenzie Caterina, Sr., M - Farmingdale State
Celina Schenk, Sr., B - Farmingdale State
Daniela Perez, Fr., B - Sarah Lawrence
Lainie Cadieux, Sr., B - Sarah Lawrence
Riley Leedholm, So., B - Mount Saint Vincent
Alexxis McNeil, Jr., B - Farmingdale State
Lindsey Jolly, Sr., G - Farmingdale State
Bridgette Lee, Jr., G - Sarah Lawrence
Second Team
Cassidy Jester, Sr., F - USMMA
Mia Almonte, Sr., F - Old Westbury
Julissa Martinez, Sr., F - Farmingdale State
Kaitlin Hansen, Fr., F - Mount Saint Mary
Natalie Colpoys, So., M - USMMA
Angie Mainiero, Fr., M - Mount Saint Mary
Grace Carter, Fr., M - Sarah Lawrence
Kathryn Sandford, Jr., M - Maritime
Nicole Abalco, Sr., B - Old Westbury
Gianna Edwards, Fr., B - St. Joseph’s-Long Island
Maria Baldwin, Fr., B - Mount Saint Mary
Natalia Gallardo, So., B - USMMA
Brooke Frierson, So, G - Mount Saint Vincent
Offensive Player of the Year: Cora Colvin, Sarah Lawrence
Defensive Player of the Year: Lainie Cadieux, Sarah Lawrence
Rookie of the Year: Viktoria Balbin, Sarah Lawrence
Coach of the Year: Maurizio Grillo, Sarah Lawrence