Bedford, NH native Kristin Hensinger '07 Head Coach of the Western New England University women's soccer team has been named the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Coach of the Year. The league announced its 2022 Women's Soccer All-Conference Teams and major award winners on November 9th. All 10 CCC schools were represented on this year's list. Tournament Champion — Western New England — had the most honorees with seven athletes selected.
The CCC had this to say when announcing the Coach of the Year award. "Hensinger earned her second-career (2017) CCC Coach of the Year honor this year after leading Western New England to a 6-2-1 CCC (11-5-1 overall) record and winning the CCC Regular-Season Championship. As the Regular-Season Champions, the Golden Bears were the No. 1 seed in the CCC Championship Tournament, the first time they held that honor since joining the conference. Hensinger's squad was not afraid to get forward as they led the league in shots on-goal (178) and corner kicks (145), while scoring 32 goals, good for fourth in the conference. However, WNE's defense was the star of the team, posting a league-best 0.76 goals-against average and earning seven clean sheets. Four of those shutouts came in CCC action. The Golden Bears allowed more than one goal on just three occasions and limited opponents to an average of less than four shots-on-goal per game."
Former WNE Women's Soccer captain and 2015 Downes Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Hensinger was named the seventh head coach of the WNE Women's Soccer program in 2016.
"The last time the WNE Women's Soccer team won a championship was back in 2006 as members of the GNAC (Great Northeast Athletic Conference)," said Hensinger. "I was a senior on the team then, so to finally have the trophy back at WNE after sixteen years, I can't even describe the emotion! Winning our first ever CCC Championship was a culmination of all of the hard work not only this team put in, but all of our alumni before them."
Hensinger was a four-year midfielder for Western New England from 2003-06 and one of the top players in school history. As a senior, she led the Golden Bears to an 11-8-2 record and a berth in the NCAA Division III Championship. She was voted the Most Valuable Player of the GNAC Tournament after leading WNE to the team title.
Hensinger led the team in scoring with 23 points on six goals and 11 assists in making the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA) Division III Team. She also was a four-time All-GNAC performer.
Under Hensinger's leadership, The Western New England women's soccer team ended the season with seven players landing spots on All-CCC teams and senior defender Summer Hathaway named Defensive Player of the Year. You can read all about it here!
The Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC), founded in 1984, is an NCAA Division III athletic conference comprised of 10 full member and one associate member institution throughout the New England region. Its membership aims to provide student-athletes with a positive experience in their pursuit of excellence through high academic standards, quality competition, and a meaningful student life. The conference administers championships in 20 intercollegiate sports.
