The 2011 Suffolk University Women's Soccer team were awarded the Silver Award for Team Ethics by the National Coaches Soccer Association of America (NSCAA). The Rams were one of 43 teams nationally to earn the silver recognition for their clean play throughout the year. The silver award is given to a team who was not issued a red card during the season and had less than five yellow caution cards. Eighty-two teams in total received either the Gold, Silver or Bronze version of the Team Ethics Award, which recognizes teams that exhibit fair play, sporting behavior and adherence to the Laws of the Game, as reflected by the number of yellow caution cards or red ejection cards they are shown by referees throughout the season.
Suffolk was one of two institutions within the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) to be recognized on this list, with Emerson College being the other.
The Rams finished the season with a 11-8-1 overall record, reaching the GNAC Tournament finals before falling to Lasell College, 2-1 in the championship game.
The awards continue to pile in for the Suffolk Women's Soccer team. Senior Leslie Hayden (Ross, Calif.) was recognized by the GNAC as the Offensive Player of the Year as well as being named a first-team All-Conference selection. The senior forward was also one of the top players in the region as she was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) second team All-Region team and was also named a fourth team All-Star in the region by the NSCAA after setting the all-time GNAC record in career points with 175. Sophomores Gabrielle Balestrier (Mohnton, Pa.) and Monica Wolf (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) earned second team All-Conference honors by the GNAC. Wolf will serve as team captain in 2012 as she replaces the position held by Hayden and senior Kristina Michael (Fall River, Mass.). Michael earned recognition from the GNAC as she was named to the All-Sportsmanship team while also earning accolades at Suffolk being named to the University's Who's Who award list.
It is the fourth season in a row that Suffolk has been recognized by the NSCAA for fair play under Head Coach Ernst Cleophat.
Based in Kansas City, Kan., the NSCAA is the largest soccer coaches' organization in the world. Since its founding in 1941, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America has grown to include more than 30,000 members who coach both genders at all levels of the sport. In addition to a national rankings program for colleges and high schools, NSCAA offers an extensive recognition program that presents nearly 10,000 individual awards every year. The NSCAA fulfills its mission of coaching education through a nationwide program of clinics and week-long courses, teaching more than 6,000 soccer coaches each year.