DARTMOUTH, Mass. –
Sophia Bouffard headlined the Little East Conference's end of year awards, earning Defensive Player of the Year, while
Sam Gacioch was picked to the All-conference second team for her efforts during the season.
Bouffard, hailing from South Burlington, VT, continued her impressive career during the 2026 campaign. During the Corsairs first road of the season, Bouffard did something that no Corsair had done in years, managing to stop not just one, not just two, but SIX shots as a field player.
The impressive number earned her the first of two defensive player of the week bids. The second one coming a month later when she moved into second-place all-time in defensive saves by a D3 player.
Bouffard chipped in three goals during the season, two of which coming in the Corsairs LEC playoff matchup against Keene State. The 31 defensive-save season shattered her previous record of 13, moving her career total up to 69.
Gacioch, a native of Tiverton, RI, led the Corsairs midfield to their first playoff appearance since the 2021 season. She gave an early glimpse of what the season was going to look like during the season opener against Elms, where she scored the first goal, AND first two assists of her career.
Bouffard and Gacioch were joined by
Farah Neves on the Corsairs award list, as she was picked as the team's 12th Player of the Year.
Neves, a freshman out of Dartmouth, Mass., played in 15 minutes this season. She saved just one shot, and helped contribute to the team's 8-0 shutout against the Elms College Blazers on opening day.
It was the first time that Gacioch was selected as an All-LEC member, while Bouffard was tabbed to her first career All-First team.
