Five Dragons Collect All-Region Honors
Carolina Gibernau pocketed her third First Team All-Region selection in as many years
The best season in Drexel field hockey program history yielded five All-Mid Atlantic picks, including three First Team selections. The Dragons finished with a 19-4 overall record, a regular season Colonial Athletic Association Championship and the program's first NCAA berth and tourament victory. Forwards Susan Ciufo and Christina Mastropaolo join midfielder Carolina Gibernau as First Team All-Mid Atlantic selections while Kim Tunell and Sofia Sanguinetti garnered Second Team All-Region honors.
Mastropaolo obliterated school records in her junior season en route to one of the finest statistical seasons in the nation. The forward is ranked in top five nationally in goals per game and points per game and is the Division I leader in game-winning goals. Her 29 goals, 69 points and 10 game-winning goals are all new Drexel Division I single-season school records. She was selected as the 2009 CAA Player of the Year.
Ciufo's junior season surpassed her sophomore totals that yielded her First Team All-Region and Third Team All-America honors. The forward totaled 21 goals and nine assists this season. She was honored earlier in the season in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" after holding the nation's longest point-scoring streak and scoring all three goals in the Dragons' season-opening 3-2 win at Rutgers.
Gibernau finished her career as one of the most decorated field hockey players in Drexel history. She is the only Drexel player to ever be thrice named First Team All-Conference, First Team All-Region and First Team All-Conference Championship. As a senior she broke her own single-season school mark for assists with 15. Her final season highlights included scoring the game-tying and game-winning goals in the Dragons' comeback overtime victory over No. 10 Duke as well as a one-goal, two-assist effort in Drexel's first NCAA victory, a 3-2 win over No. 5 UConn.
In just her sophomore season, Sanguinetti cemented her reputation as one of the top defenders in the nation. The Uruguay native was the central figure in one of the most imposing defenses in the league. She was selected as the 2009 CAA Defender of the Year and Second Team All-CAA. In addition to her defensive prowess, Sanguinetti also contributed three goals, including two penalty stroke scores, and four assists.
Tunell battled through a mid-season hand injury to register two of the biggest goals in program history. The junior midfielder scored two goals, including the game-winner, against UConn in the NCAA Tournament. A 2008 First Team All-CAA and All-Region selection, Tunell missed a portion of the conference season with her injury but finished the season by earning All-CAA Championship honors. She totaled five goals and four assists on the season.
With their selection as First Team All-Region honorees, Mastropaolo, Ciufo and Gibernau are eligible for All-America honors. The 2009 All-America Teams will be announced next week.