PHILADELPHIA — Much like it did to opponents all season long, the La Salle women's soccer team dominated the yearly Atlantic 10 awards, announced on Thursday afternoon by the conference. 

Head coach Paul Royal was named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, senior goalkeeper Melissa Sanger was named the Defensive Player of the Year, and freshman forward Kelsey Haycook was named the Rookie of the Year, in voting conducted by the league's head coaches.
 
Overall, a program-record four Explorers were named to the all-conference first team including Sanger, senior defender Jess Hopton, midfielder Renee Washington and Haycook.

“Our program has never had more than one player selected to the first team all-conference, so having four of our kids recognized is a huge honor,” said head coach Paul Royal.  “They've worked hard from day one and they are certainly deserving.  But these accolades are a true testament to how hard our team works everyday.”
 
Royal was named the conference coach of the year after breaking the school record for victories and finishing the regular season unbeaten for the first time in program history. He is the fourth Explorer coach of the year this fall, joining Dan Ireland (men's and women's cross country) and Michelle Marks (field hockey).
 
Sanger finished the regular season with an unblemished 15-0-3 record in goal and only allowed six goals all season long.  She is ranked third in the nation in GAA  (0.287) and fourth in save percentage (0.918).
 
Hopton paced the team with six assists, the final one coming on the last day of the regular season off a free kick on the game-tying goal last Friday at Fordham.  She also scored her first and only goal of the season on Oct. 9 against Xavier.
 
Washington followed up a sensational freshman season with an equally productive sophomore campaign.  After moving into the midfield position due to injuries in the preseason, Washington scored 10 goals, six of them being game-winners, and added five assists.  The former Pennington Prep standout scored two golden goal winners in overtime against Dayton and UMass.
 
Haycook burst onto the scene as a freshman and led the conference with 16 goals, 10 of them coming in Atlantic 10 play.  She is currently tied for eighth in the country in goals and was also awarded Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honors. Haycook also broke the La Salle single-season goal scoring record for a freshman and is currently one goal shy of the all-time scoring record held by Lisa McDermott who scored 17 goals back in 1987.
 
La Salle also had two players, Haycook and Maryam Huseini named to the all-rookie team. Huseini scored two goals and recorded five assists in her rookie season after coming over from Norway in the summer.  She is the first international recruit to play at La Salle in the Paul Royal era.
 
The all-academic team was also peppered with Explorers including Sanger, Washington, Diana Allen and Jourdan McVicker.
 
The 2011 Atlantic 10 Tournament will begin on Thursday afternoon in Dayton with two quarterfinal matches beginning at 5 p.m. The top-seeded Explorers will face the lowest remaining seed on Friday in the first semifinal at 5 p.m.
 
The full list of the A-10's yearly awards is below.
 
Coach of the Year – Paul Royal, La Salle
Offensive Player of the Year – Becca Wann, Richmond
Defensive Player of the Year – Melissa Sanger, La Salle
Midfielder of the Year – Mo Hawkins, Saint Joseph's
Rookie of the Year – Kelsey Haycook, La Salle
 
 
FIRST TEAM
Becca Wann, Richmond, F
Colleen Williams, Dayton, F
Kelsey Haycook, La Salle, F
Mo Hawkins, Saint Joseph's, MF
Renee Washington, La Salle, MF
Alexis Garcia, Dayton, MF
Tori Burchett, St. Bonaventure, MF
Jess Hopton, La Salle, D
Kathleen Beljan, Dayton, D
Meghan Collins, Massachusetts, D
Melissa Sanger, La Salle, GK
 
SECOND TEAM
Kelsey Smigel, Dayton, F
Julie Morrissey, Massachusetts, F
Niki Conn, Temple, F
Jen Pfeiffer, Saint Joseph's, F
Moa Mattsson, Massachusetts, MF
Alexis Veith, Rhode Island, MF
Natalie LeClair, Richmond, MF
Kristen Lescalleet, Richmond, D
Samantha Cloutier, G. Washington, D
Lauren Heap, Xavier, D
Emily Cota, Massachusetts, GK
Melissa Pacheco, Richmond, GK
 
ALL ROOKIE
Kelsey Haycook, La Salle
Kelsey Smigel, Dayton
Moa Mattsson, Massachusetts
Katie Markesberry, Xavier
Kristina Maksuti, Fordham
Melissa Alvarez-Freeman, Richmond
Tori Sousa, Massachusetts
Abbey Stock, Saint Louis
Maryam Huseini, La Salle
Ashley Williams, Richmond
Amanda Jones, Charlotte
 
 
ALL ACADEMIC
Kathleen Beljan, Dayton
Melissa Sanger, La Salle
Courtney David, Rhode Island
Jennifer Andrews, St. Bonaventure
Emily Kenyon, Dayton
Jourdan McVicker, La Salle
Colleen Williams, Dayton
Renee Washington, La Salle
Juliana Libertin, Dayton
Morgan Herbert, Duquesne
Diana Allen, La Salle