LANCASTER, Pa. – Sophomore Joelle Ma was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year as the Dickinson women's soccer team placed six players on the All-Centennial Conference Team, the league office announced on Thursday morning. Ma and senior Ava Prisco earned First Team honors, while seniors Norah Heacock and Bridget Merkel were named to the Second Team. Junior Anna Bitsko and sophomore Pico Gray received Honorable Mention, and senior Norah Anderson was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Special Awards
Ma, a native of Summit, New Jersey, kept the Defensive Player of the Year award in Carlisle for a second straight season after Lila Brown became the first Red Devil to win it in 2025. Last year's Centennial Rookie of the Year and a Second Team selection, Ma started all 20 matches she played and logged 1,645 minutes heading into the NCAA Tournament. She helped the Red and White post 13 shutouts and allow just 10 goals in 21 matches. Seven of those shutouts came in conference play as Dickinson went 7-1-2 to earn the No. 3 seed in the Centennial Conference Tournament.
Ma also led the Devils with eight assists and 18 points and tied for the team lead with five goals. She scored once and set up two more goals in a 6-0 win over Ursinus in the conference opener on September 19, then added a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win at McDaniel on October 24. Her biggest goal came in the Centennial semifinal at No. 17 Swarthmore on November 6. With the match still scoreless in the 81st minute, Ma tucked a penalty kick inside the right post to give Dickinson a 1-0 win and send the Red and White to the conference championship match.
First Team
Prisco, out of Warren, New Jersey, joined Ma on the First Team for her second consecutive selection. The senior forward appeared in all 21 matches, making 16 starts and collecting four goals and four assists for 12 points on a team-high 60 shots. Prisco scored the lone goal in a 1-0 win at Gettysburg on September 23 and set up Mckenna Gross for the winner in a 1-0 victory over Penn College on October 20. She also recorded a goal and an assist in the conference opener against Ursinus.
Second Team
Heacock, a native of Baltimore, Maryland, repeated as a Second Team selection after starting 19 of the 20 matches she played. The senior helped Dickinson open the conference tournament with back-to-back 1-0 wins over Gettysburg and Swarthmore. She also opened the scoring off a feed from Ma in the 4-1 victory at McDaniel.
Merkel, out of Pittsford, New York, earned Second Team honors for the third straight season after making 18 starts in 19 appearances. The senior recorded one goal and two assists, including the pass that set up Emma Barrabee's 77th-minute winner against Gettysburg in the first round of the Centennial Conference Tournament. Merkel also scored the opening goal in a 4-0 win over Pitt-Greensburg on September 5.
Honorable Mention
Bitsko, a native of Richmond, Virginia, started all 21 matches and finished second on the team with five assists to go along with two goals. She opened the scoring in the Devils' 5-0 season-opening win over Juniata on September 1 and set up Prisco for the only goal at Gettysburg. Four of her five assists came in conference play.
Gray, out of Brooklyn, New York, started all 21 matches between the sticks, making 63 saves with a .863 save percentage and a 0.50 goals-against average. The sophomore made a season-high 10 saves in a scoreless draw with Swarthmore on October 14, then stopped seven shots to shut out the Garnet again in the conference semifinal.
All-Sportsmanship Team
Anderson, a senior from Franklin, Massachusetts, represented the Red Devils on the All-Sportsmanship Team. She appeared in 11 matches and assisted on Barrabee's goal in a 2-0 win over Muhlenberg in the regular-season finale.
The Red Devils (14-3-4) continue their season on Saturday, November 14, when they host Bridgewater College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament. Kickoff is set for 1:30 p.m. at Miller Memorial Field.
