GILBERT, Ariz - The 2019 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region teams were announced on Monday afternoon, with senior Brianna Ricker and junior Cassandra Mascarenhas representing the Black Bears in the New England Region. 

This year, 160 Division I student-athletes have been named to Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region teams. Division I teams are separated into five regions: Mid-Atlantic, Mideast, Northeast, South and West — each region honors 16 student-athletes on a first team and 16 student-athletes on a second team.

Cassandra Mascarenhas is wrapping up one of the most decorated seasons in Maine field hockey program history, already in possession of First-Team All-Conference, All-Academic Team, All-Tournament Team, and Defensive Player of the Year honors from the America East. The junior was one of only five players to start all 18 games during the 2019 season, leading the team with 1,008 total minutes on the pitch. She led the team with five assists, and along with a goal totaled seven points this season. Most notably, she anchored a defensive unit that allowed 2.11 goals per game over the season, and just 1.00 per conference game, as the Black Bears found their stride late in the year and rallied to earn the #2 overall seed in the conference tournament where they fell in a double-overtime shootout to eventual conference champion Stanford in the semifinal round. 

Brianna Ricker was far and away the leader for Maine on the other half of the pitch, leading the team with 13 goals alongside an assist for a team-high 27 points. She accounted for 38% of her team's offense and 31% of their point total while ranking tenth in the nation in total goals. Of her goals, five were game-winners, the second-most in the conference, most notably the overtime game-winner against #5 Northwestern in early October to give Maine it's highest-ranked victory in program history. She wrapped up one of the finest offensive careers in program history ranking 7th all-time in goals (39) and tied for 12th in career points (88).

This is the first career All-Region for either athlete, with Mascarenhas on the First Team and Ricker named Second-Team, after both were selected to the America East All-Conference First Team in early November. 

Full NFHCA Release