Six Lady Bears Collect USCAA Year-End Soccer Honors

ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Adding to an already successful inaugural season, six St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's soccer student-athletes received year-end honors as announced at the 2012 United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Soccer Championships banquet yesterday.

Junior Cynthia Gambino (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) headlined the honorees, receiving USCAA Second Team All-American recognition while freshman Pamela Chernyakhovsky (Brooklyn, NY/Leon M. Goldstein) and junior Nicole Farinella (East Patchogue, NY/Bellport HS) were granted All-American Honorable Mention.

Senior Jessica Gargano (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney), sophomore Melissa Maloy (Staten Island, NY/St. John's Villa) and junior Krysta Verdone (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place HS) were each selected to the USCAA National All-Academic Team.

Gambino currently leads the Lady Bears in goals (12) and points (25) at the end of the regular season and was a USCAA Player of the Week selection on October 24th after scoring seven goals leading the Lady Bears to a 3-0 week.

Chernyakhovsky, an AD3I Player of the Week and two-time HVWAC Rookie of the Week, is the catalyst for the Lady Bears offense in the midfield, ranked second on the team in points (21). Out of her nine goals on the season, two have been game-winners and a number have come from distance off direct free kicks.

Farinella has recorded six shutouts and is ranked second in the Association in save percentage (.863), producing three games with double-digit saves. The junior goalkeeper is also ranked sixth in the USCAA in wins (5) playing every minute in net for the Lady Bears.

Maloy, a sophomore defender, has started all 11 games for the Lady Bears and helped solidify the back line which has limited opponents to only 1.14 goals per game, fourth-best in the USCAA. Maloy also has a goal and an assist to her credit.

Gargano receives All-Academic honors for the second time in her career, one of six women playing on last year's men's squad. The junior midfielder has started in all 10 games she has played.

Verdone, a three sport student-athlete also competing on the women's tennis and cross country teams, joined the soccer team mid-season and appeared in four games as a substitute.

USCAA National All-Academic Team members must maintain a minimum cumulative 3.5 grade point average in order to qualify.

St. Joseph's (5-4-2) will conclude their 2012 campaign in search of their first HVWAC title. The top-seeded Lady Bears will play No. 4 seed Medgar Evers in a semifinal still to be rescheduled in the wake of Hurricane Sandy's aftermath. The winner will move on to face No. 2 seed Berkeley College in the championship game.