St. John's University Athletics
Diana Poulin Named ECAC Defensive Player of the Year
11/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
ECAC Release
QUEENS, N.Y. - One day after earning a spot on the NSCAA All-Northeast Region Second Team, St. John's women's soccer senior Diana Poulin was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday.
Along with Poulin, sophomore Anna Maria Baldursdottir was named an ECAC All-Star.
Poulin, a three-time BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year and two-time NSCAA All-Region honoree, earns her first ECAC award after another standout season in goal for St. John's. Earlier this month, Poulin became just the second player in BIG EAST history to win the conference's Goalkeeper of the Year Award three times. The Hauppauge, N.Y., native set the St. John's career record for wins in the team's 1-0 win over CCSU earlier this season and earned 10 more wins throughout her senior campaign, finishing with 43 career victories. After St. John's defeated Providence, 1-0, in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship, Poulin collected her 12th clean sheet of the season, setting a new single-season program record. For her career, Poulin finished with 32 shutouts, placing her ninth on the NCAA active leaderboard.
Statistically, Poulin was one of the best goalkeepers in the country all season, finishing the campaign ranked 14th in Division I with a .522 goals-against average, 15th with a .867 save percentage and seventh with 12 shutouts.
Baldursdottir, who garnered NSCAA All-Region and All-BIG EAST First Team praise, anchored one of the best backlines in the nation. The St. John's defense allowed the fewest goals in the BIG EAST, leading to a .565 team goals-against average that ranked 13th in the country. Baldursdottir, widely known as a standout defender, also chipped in offensively this season. The Gardabaer, Iceland native scored three goals and added an assist for seven total points. Each of her three goals were game-winners, which ranked fifth in the BIG EAST.
