CALIFORNIA (Nov. 15) – The California (PA) women's soccer team featured a group of six senior players named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team on Tuesday afternoon, as defender Alexandra Brooks (Odenton, Md./Meade), forward Juliana Cruz (Williamsport, Pa./Loyalsock Township), defender Elisabeth Engle (Beaver, Pa./Beaver), forward Lindsie Galbreath (Saxonburg, Pa./Knoch), midfielder Claire Mercurio (Coraopolis, Pa./West Allegheny) and defender Maria Miocic (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) received the honor.
With the honor, all six seniors are eligible for consideration on the CSC Academic All-America Teams that will be announced next month. The CSC Academic All-America program replaces the former CoSIDA Academic All-America program after CoSIDA recently rebranded the organization as College Sports Communicators.
A native of Maryland, Brooks appeared in 10 games with two starts this fall and helped Cal record a total of five shutouts. She maintains a 3.91 cumulative grade-point average (GPA) while majoring in marketing with a minor in psychology.
Cruz appeared in all 17 games, including 12 starts, and recorded four points on two goals this season. She holds a 3.78 GPA while completing a degree in biology with a concentration in pre-dentistry and a minor in chemistry.
A Beaver product, Engle played in all 17 games and started 10-consecutive games to close the season. She scored a goal in the season-opener and helped the Vulcans rank among the top 10 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in goals-against average. Engle boasts a 3.67 GPA while majoring in psychology.
Galbreath earned All-PSAC West Second-Team honors for the first time in her career this fall. She led the team and set career highs with six goals and 13 points, which was the most by a Cal player since 2015. Galbreath started all 17 games this season and recorded a trio of game-winning goals. The Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, native boasts a 3.81 GPA while pursuing a degree in health science.
A West Allegheny product, Mercurio played in all 17 games and set a career high with eight starts this year, plus scored one goal. She maintains a 3.69 GPA while majoring in sport management with a minor in communication studies.
Miocic appeared in 12 games this season with one start and registered her first career goal. She holds a 3.91 GPA while completing a degree in marketing with a minor in economics.
To qualify for the academic all-district honors, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and in athletic eligibility, must maintain a cumulative 3.50 GPA or higher and must have played at least 50 percent of the team's games. Additionally, each institution is capped at six nominees in the sport of women's soccer.
