Fiorentino, Mullaney earn All-American honors
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

Brookdale Community College players continue to reap the rewards of this year’s second-place finish at the national championships.

Defender Laura Fiorentino earned First Team All-American recognition from the National Junior College Athletic Association. BCC midfielder Ally Mullaney was named to the NJCAA Second Team All-American.

Fiorentino, a sophomore from Sayreville, who played sweeper, made BCC history becoming the school’s first two-time First Team All-American. It was an honor well-deserved, according to Brookdale head coach Frank Lawrence.

“It’s so difficult for a defender to get recognized for her contributions, but Laura’s outstanding play and leadership could not be overlooked by all the coaches who voted for her,” said Lawrence.

Mullaney, a Howell High School grad, earned high praise for being a two-way player who helped out on defense as well as being a major force on offense.

“Ally scored or assisted on so many important goals for us this year, including the [Garden State Athletic] Conference clinching the win over Ocean, and both goals in our 2-1 win in the District Championship that got us to the Nationals,” the coach said.

The Blues repeated as GSAC champions and won Region XIX and District titles on their way to a second-place finish at the NJCAA Division III Championships.

In the National Soccer Coaches Association of America voting for All-Region teams, the Blues were well represented on the South Region Team. Melissa Scaduto and Kim Thompsen joined Fiorentino on the South Region squad.

Scaduto, a freshman goalie from Howell, led the nation with a 0.432 goals against average, while Thompsen, a sophomore from Raritan, was the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals and eight assists.

“Kim scored the game-winning goal in four straight games, including three tournament games leading up to the Nationals. Unlike a lot of forwards, Kim didn’t score in bunches against weak teams, she scored in the big games against the best teams.

“Melissa was solid in goal all year and her play at the national tournament, where she was named to the All-Tournament Team, was exceptional and certainly helped secure her a spot on the All-Region Team.”

Fiorentino also earned Second Team All-American honors from the Coaches Association, making her only the second BCC player to gain All-American status from both organizations.

“It’s very hard to make it on an NSCAA All-American Team because they include the California teams, which adds another 80 schools into the voting,” said Lawrence. “Laura’s consistently high level of play and the team’s accomplishments were recognized by coaches throughout the country.”

There were major honors for Lawrence as well. He was selected as the NSCAA South Region Coach of the Year. He is on the ballot for National Coach of the Year recognition. That national honor will be announced at the NSCAA’s annual convention in Indianapolis, Ind., on Jan. 12.

“It is an honor to be recognized by my fellow coaches, but really, this was an easy team to coach, and it was fun to go to the field every day,” Lawrence said.

Lawrence was also the GSAC and Region XIX Coach of the Year.