Women's Soccer | 12/10/2024 2:40:00 PM

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Two members from Bloomsburg women's soccer were named to the United Soccer Coaches Division II All-Atlantic Region Third Team Tuesday afternoon.

Senior defender Erin Ranegan (Wilmington, Del./Conrad School of Science) receives her second third-team bid from the United Soccer Coaches after earning a spot on the team in 2023. Junior goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) joins her teammate with her first career United Soccer Coaches All-Region honor. The nods continue a streak of nine consecutive seasons, with the Huskies having at least one player on the All-Atlantic squad under head coach Matt Haney. It is the sixth season under the 10th-year coach with multiple all-region honorees.

Ranegan caps off her impressive career as a Husky with her third total all-region distinction. The defender is now a two-time United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic Third Team honoree and received her first Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) honor this season with a spot on the second team. In addition to her all-region honors, Ranegan became the 15th three-time All-PSAC nominee with her second first-team selection in as many seasons. The honor makes Ranegan one of 11 players in that group in program history with multiple first-team nods. Having started all 81 of her career games, Ranegan culminates her career, registering 7128 minutes played with 10 points (4 goals, 2 assists). In addition to her individual accomplishments, Ranegan helped the Huskies claim a PSAC Championship in 2021. 

Merklin's stellar debut season with the Huskies builds with her second all-region distinction of the season. After previously being named to the D2CCA All-Atlantic First Team, Merklin adds to her accolades with her first United Soccer Coaches All-Region bid on the Third Team. The junior cemented her spot as one of the best goalkeepers in the country, finishing the season with 96 saves in 19 games across 1710 minutes played. Merklin recorded a .684 goals against average and a .881 save percentage in net. The goalkeeper picked up her second career All-PSAC East honor and first at Bloomsburg with her first-career first-team nod.