RICHMOND, Va.— Vivian Akyirem of the Northeastern women's soccer team was named the 2023 CAA Preseason Player of the Year, while also earning Preseason All-CAA accolades alongside
Jessie Hunt. The Huskies were picked to finish second in the preseason poll with 123 points.
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Alexis Legowski and
Holland Stam earned All-CAA Preseason Honorable Mention honors.
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Headed into her sophomore season, Akyirem was named the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. She finished last season with 13 goals and one assist for 27 points. The Kumasi, Ghana native's 13 goals tied to lead the CAA and she posted the third-most points by a Husky rookie in program history and most since 2009. Akyirem was an All-CAA First Team selection in 2022.
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In her first season with the Huskies in 2022, Hunt posted 13 assists and one goal for 15 points. Her 13 assists are a program record and ranked tied for the fourth-best mark in the nation. The Edina, Minnesota native was also an All-CAA First Team selection last season.
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Northeastern returns a talented roster that made it to its second-straight CAA Championship game in 2022. The Huskies posted a 10-6-4 overall record last season. The Huskies earned one first place vote in the CAA Preseason Poll and were just one point behind first place Monmouth (124 points).
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The Huskies open their 2023 campaign on the road at Xavier on Thursday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
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2023 CAA Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
|
School (1st) |
Points |
| 1. |
Monmouth (6) |
124 |
| 2. |
Northeastern (1) |
123 |
| 3. |
Hofstra (3) |
117 |
| 4. |
Towson (1) |
112 |
| 5. |
Drexel (1) |
111 |
| 6. |
Elon |
86 |
| 7. |
Campbell (1) |
80 |
| 8. |
William & Mary |
62 |
| 9. |
UNCW |
61 |
| 10. |
Stony Brook |
59 |
| 11. |
Charleston |
40 |
| 12. |
Delaware |
27 |
| 13. |
Hampton |
12 |
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2023 Preseason All-CAA Women's Soccer Team
| Name |
School |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Vivian Akyirem * |
Northeastern |
So. |
F |
Kumasi, Ghana |
| Kayla Burroughs |
UNCW |
Jr. |
F |
Asheboro, N.C. |
| Nia Christopher * |
Towson |
Sr. |
F |
Devonshire, Bermuda |
| Ivey Crain |
William & Mary |
So. |
F |
Milton, Ga. |
| Delaney Lappin * |
Drexel |
Sr. |
F |
Corbin City, N.J. |
| Wiktoria Fronc * |
Hofstra |
So. |
M |
London, England |
| Jessie Hunt |
Northeastern |
Sr. |
M |
Edina, Minn. |
| Annalena O'Reilly |
Drexel |
R-Sr. |
M |
Ardmore, Pa. |
| Lauren Bruno |
Monmouth |
Sr. |
D |
Manalapan, N.J. |
| Laney Peabody |
Campbell |
R-Sr. |
D |
Solana Beach, Calif. |
| Catharina von Drigalski |
Stony Brook |
Gr. |
D |
Oberursel, Germany |
| Riley Melendez |
Towson |
Sr. |
GK |
Springfield, Va. |
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2023 CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Vivian Akyirem, Northeastern
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* Received at least one vote for Preseason Player of the Year
There was a tie for the final spot on the team, hence the 12-player list.
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Honorable Mention: McKenna Dalfonso, GK, Elon; Lily Dunbar, D, Drexel; Jasmine Hamid, M, Towson; Kennedy Jones, M, Elon;
Alexis Legowski, M, Northeastern; Makaya Parham, D, UNCW; Dagny Run Petursdottir, M, Hofstra; Grace Powell, M, Charleston; Caitlin St. Leger, M, Delaware;
Holland Stam, GK, Northeastern; Shae Yocum, D, Charleston
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