McMackin, Pala selected to all-conference women's soccer team

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University women's soccer senior Christine Pala (Milford, Conn.) and sophomore Abby McMackin (Walpole, Mass.) have been named to the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) all-league third team as backs.

Salve Regina (8-7-3, 3-4-2 CCC) earned the conference's sixth seed for the upcoming championships (Sat., Oct. 29) and will face third seed Endicott (12-3-2, 7-2-0 CCC) in the quarterfinal round for the second straight year under head coach Jane Walsh.

"Christine and Abby are very deserving of this recognition from my fellow conference coaches," Walsh said. "They have shuffled in and out of the back line and have been instrumental to our consistency on defense."

Pala anchors the stingy Seahawk defense that shutout opponents eight times in 18 regular season contests. Salve Regina won four times by a 1-0 score, including three straight from Sept. 27 to Oct. 5.

McMackin returns to the all-conference team for the second consecutive year, last season as a second team forward and the league's rookie of the year. More than any other Seahawk, she shifted constantly from forward to back within games and was able to provide some offense as well. She scored two goals on the year and both were game winners (Sept. 8 versus UMass Dartmouth; Oct. 15 versus Curry) while adding two assists.

In their regular season meeting with the Gulls at Beverly, Mass., the Seahawks were defeated 1-0.