EDISON, N.J. (Nov. 9, 2026) –– The Metro Conference announced its 2026 women's soccer all-conference teams and major award winners Monday. Awards are voted on by the Conference's head coaches.
Four institutions claimed the five major awards. Sacred Heart's Shea Kelleher won the Golden Boot, Siena's Cate Burns took the Golden Glove, and Quinnipiac's Anna Bean was named Defensive Player of the Year. Niagara won two major honors: Naiya Johnston was named Rookie of the Year, and Donny George was voted Coach of the Year by his peers.
Kelleher tied Niagara's Caitlyn Gratton for the Conference lead with 23 points (1.92 per game). She also led the Metro in shots (69) and shots per game (5.75), ranked second with nine goals and tied for third with five assists. Her four-goal, eight-point performance at Rider on Oct. 21 was the top single-game output in the Metro this season and one of her four multi-point games. Kelleher, a second-team all-conference pick a season ago, also earned a spot on the All-Metro First Team.
Burns led the Metro in conference play with an .868 save percentage. She tied for the conference lead with six shutouts in 11 appearances, a conference-best .545 per game, and ranked second with a 0.64 goals-against average. A second-team all-conference pick a season ago, Burns moves up to the All-Metro First Team.
Bean anchored a Quinnipiac defense that won its third regular-season title at 9-2-1 with 28 points. The Bobcats allowed eight goals in 12 conference matches, tied for the second-fewest in the Metro, and posted a conference-high seven shutouts with a 0.67 goals-against average. Quinnipiac closed the regular season unbeaten in its last seven conference matches (6-0-1). Bean also earned a spot on the All-Metro First Team as a midfielder.
Johnston made an immediate impact for Niagara with four assists in conference play, tied for fifth in the Metro. She had two multi-point matches: a goal and an assist against Iona on Sept. 12, and two assists against Saint Peter's on Oct. 3. Johnston was also named to the All-Metro Second Team.
In his second season, George led Niagara to an 11-win season, a five-win improvement over 2025 and the program's most wins since 2022. That year, with George on staff as an assistant, the Purple Eagles reached the conference championship final. Niagara finished second in the conference at 8-2-2 with 26 points, went unbeaten at home in conference play (5-0-1) and closed the regular season unbeaten in its last seven conference matches (5-0-2). The Purple Eagles ranked in the top four in the Metro in goals (21), assists (18) and points (60), led by Gratton's conference-high 10 goals. No. 2 seed Niagara hosts No. 3 seed Fairfield in the Metro semifinal on Thursday at 6 PM ET on ESPN+.
Fairfield led all teams with seven All-Metro selections, followed by Siena with six and Quinnipiac and Manhattan with five each. Fairfield's Payton Zaun was the lone unanimous selection after leading the conference with 10 assists, ranking third with 22 points and posting a Metro-high five multi-point games. A first-team all-conference pick as a freshman a season ago, Zaun returns to the All-Metro First Team.