BOSTON – University of Maine women's soccer forward Abby Kraemer was named the America East Striker of the Year while the coaching staff earned America East Staff of the Year honors, as announced today by the conference office.
 
Additionally, seven total Black Bears were named to All-League teams, as Kraemer, Myla Schneider and Lara Kirkby received first-team accolades, while Kristina Kelly received a second-team nod and first-years Victoria Dungey, Luise Reinwald and Abbey Thornton were named to the All-Rookie team. Kraemer and Schneider also earned spots on the America East All-Academic Team.
 
Kraemer finished the regular season as the league's leading scorer with a career-best 26 points and 11 goals. The junior leads the America East in several overall major statistical categories, sitting first in points (26), goals (11), game-winning goals (5), shots (57) and shot on goals (29). In conference games, Kraemer is first overall in points, points per game, shots, shots on goal and is second in goals per game and third in game-winning goals. The Waterloo, Ontario native has registered a point in 10 out of 15 contests that she has played and has two multi-goal games and three one-goal, one-assist performances. Kraemer earned two Offensive Player of the Week awards during the regular season. Kraemer, who is the first Maine player to be named Striker of the Year since Laura Martel in 2009, is the first Black Bear to reach double-digit goals in a season since Martel scored 13 in 2009.
 
This is the first time that head coach Scott Atherley has been tabbed for Coaching Staff of the Year honors. In his 31st season as a head coach in Orono, Atherley and assistant coach Liis Abbott saw the Black Bears off to an 8-0-4 start for the longest undefeated start to begin a season in program history, and the team ended the regular season at 9-1-6 overall and 4-1-3 in America East play.
 
Additionally, the Black Bears have earned the second-seed in the America East Women's Soccer Championship, marking the program's best seed since 2005.
 
Schneider, a defender, leads Maine in minutes played with 1,371 and has helped limit opponents to 0.88 goals per game. She has started all 16 contests on the year and has played all 90 minutes in every conference contest. Kirkby has registered two goals and two assists from the midfield while logging 1,229 minutes on the pitch in 16 starts and has recorded the third-most shots on goal on the team with 10. Kelly, a midfielder who has appeared in all 16 games, ranks tied for third on the team in points with seven from two goals and three assists. Her 12 shots on goal are second most on the team.
 
First-year Reinwald has played in all 16 games for Maine, making 15 starts, while scoring two goals in conference play and adding two assists. Thornton, a midfielder, recorded one goal during conference play while appearing in seven of eight contests. Dungey has played in all eight conference contests for the Black Bears, scoring the game-winning goal against NJIT.
 
Kraemer, a biochemistry major with a 3.85 GPA, and Schneider, a biology major with a 3.96 GPA, both earned All-Academic Team honors.