Rimmer, who made the 2010 National Soccer Coaches Association of America East Region all-region first team at forward, tied for eighth place in the NESCAC with six goals and tied for 12th with 13 points last year. She was one of 10 Hamilton players who scored a goal in 2011. Cosgrove chipped in three goals and an assist from her midfield position. Emi Birch '14 -- another midfielder -- tied for eighth place in the conference with a team-high four assists. Emily Grund '15 recorded one goal and two assists in her rookie season.
The Continentals are looking for a new leader in the back after the graduation of two-time all-region and 2011 all-NESCAC selection Sarah Boak '12. Lauren Brady '14 and Jacqueline Winter '14 have started every game since they stepped on campus, and Meg Alexander '15 started nearly every game in her first year. Liza Gergenti '14 is a two-year starter in goal. Gergenti tied for third place in the conference with five shutouts last year. She finished with a 0.95 goals against average in 1,230 minutes and an .831 save percentage.
Hamilton capped 2010 with the third NCAA championship appearance in team history. Hamilton, which finished the year with a record of 10-4-3, shut out Virginia Wesleyan 1-0 in the first round before the Continentals lost to host Johns Hopkins University in the second round. Hamilton has a winning overall record in 30-plus years of women's soccer, and the Continentals have averaged nearly 10 victories per year under head coach Colette Gilligan.
Hamilton wrapped up its association with the Liberty League in 2010 by playing in the four-team league championship for the eighth time in nine years. Hamilton advanced to the championship game three times, including 2004, when the Continentals hosted the event and came from behind to dramatically edge William Smith College in double overtime. Hamilton claimed one league championship (2004) and two regular season titles (2004, 2007). Hamilton was a member of the league from 1995 to 2010.
The Continentals enjoyed one of the finest seasons in the school's rich athletic history in 2007, when they posted their first unbeaten regular season with a record of 13-0-1. Hamilton went on to reach the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship for the first time. After the season was finished, the team had set program records for most wins (16) and most goals (55), and was ranked first in the nation with a save percentage of .917. The team's record was 16-2-2, which was good enough to be ranked No. 7 in the final Top 25 coaches poll. The ranking was the highest in program history.
November of 2007 brought two of the most thrilling athletic moments to The Hill. The first one occurred at Love Field, where the Continentals played Tufts University to a 2-2 tie through 110 minutes in the second round of the NCAA championship. Hamilton advanced due to a 4-3 edge in penalty kicks. Hamilton has been nearly unbeatable at home with a 56-9-9 record since Gilligan arrived in 2002. The next hurdle was an undefeated Williams team on its home field. Undaunted, the Continentals grabbed a 2-0 lead early in the second half, and hung on for one of the school's biggest victories in any sport.
A bevy of individual awards followed that season's success. Megan Brousseau '08 led a defense that allowed just 12 goals and recorded 10 shutouts in 20 games. She joined goalkeeper Jen Munoz '04 as the only All-Americans in program history. Brousseau was voted to the second team. Gilligan was selected the New York Region's coach of the year, and along with assistants Patty Kloidt and Amanda Nobis, were named the league's coaching staff of the year for the third time. Three players made the all-region team and eight received all-league honors.
2004 was the season that put the program on the Division III women's soccer map. Hamilton finished 15-2-1, captured its first league regular season and tournament titles, made its first NCAA appearance and claimed its first tournament victory. The Continentals also found themselves nationally ranked for the first time as they climbed as high as a tie for No. 8.
Women's soccer has made a total of 15 postseason appearances, including six straight in the league championship from 2002 to 2007. The Continentals have won 10 or more games in a season six times. Munoz was a first team All-America selection after 2003, when she posted a program-record nine shutouts. She boasted a 0.51 goals against average along with a .900 save percentage as Hamilton went 9-3-3.
Academics is an important piece of the women's soccer program. Kendra Wulczyn '10 was elected to the Epsilon chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, which is the nation's oldest honor society, in 2010. Erica Dressler '09, who graduated in second place on the program's career goals (34) and points (81) lists, earned two impressive academic awards in 2008. Dressler was voted to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Soccer Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and made the NSCAA/adidas Collegiate Scholar All-America Team. Winter earned 2011 NESCAC fall all-academic team honors.
Colette Gilligan - Head Coach
cgilliga@hamilton.edu
315-859-4643
315-859-4293 (fax)
