At Thursday night’s, Northeast Conference women’s soccer awards banquet, the number-one seed Central Connecticut Blue Devils were in full force, taking home five of the six major awards while claiming six spots on the conference first-team.

But the awards did not just come from the players, as head coach Mick D’Arcy was awarded Coach of the Year for the fifth time in his 19-year tenure.

D’Arcy called the award “humbling,” but passed the credit on to his coaching staff, as all five of them picked up the award at the banquet.

“It really should be ‘coaching staff of the year.’ I’ve got a phenomenal group of people that I work with,” D’Arcy said.

“This is not about me, this is a group effort. It’s great recognition for all [of] our staff,” he continued.

Senior goalkeeper, Ashley Cavanaugh, was awarded Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season. Cavanaugh allowed just nine goals on the season, with a .880 save percentage, good enough for eleventh in the entire country. Her 11 shutouts put her in a tie for third, just one behind the nation’s leaders.

Cavanaugh follows in the footsteps of her predecessor Nicki Turley, who won the award three times.

D’Arcy called this a reflection of longtime goalkeeper coach Shawn Kelly, whose keepers have won the award for five straight years.

“He’s a phenomenal goalkeeper’s coach. All of our goalkeepers are a testament to the hard work he puts in,” D’Arcy said of Kelly.

Taking home Defensive Player of the Year was junior co-captain Shauny Alterisio. Alterisio returned to the backline after being a midfielder for her sophomore year. She was a part of a defense that finished twelfth in the nation in average goals against.

D’Arcy expressed the leadership Alterisio brought to the team both on and off the pitch.

“Shauny is a leader,” he said. “She carries the team. She’s the voice on the field. She’s driven us all season long. It’s just a lot of heart and passion. I think the team was so happy when she won the award because she does so much.”

Fellow captain Charlotte Maurer took home Midfielder of the Year Award. Maurer was second on the Blue Devils with eight goals while dishing out five assists, also good for second on the team.

Freshman, Roma McLaughlin was awarded Rookie of the Year. She notched her two goals on the year against Mount St. Mary’s and added four assists. Though McLaughlin did not always appear on the box score, D’Arcy stated all year long how instrumental she was to the team’s attack.

Senior forward, Danielle Pearse and junior defender Emily Hogan were also recognized by the conference, securing spots on the all-conference first-team.

Alterisio, McLaughlin and Hogan will all be returning to the Blue Devils next year, a foundation for what D’Arcy expects to be a contributor in the conference for years to come.

“It’s good to know we’ve got juniors and sophomores and freshmen that are great players and great teammates. You don’t want to be a flash in the pan, you want to have a sustained period of excellence. And that’s what we’re trying to do,” D’Arcy said.

“We want to be a competitor in the Northeast Conference every year, and for the most part, I think that’s what we’ve been able to do,” he continued.