Last week’s CAA tournament brought an end to a solid Seahawk soccer campaign. Both the men’s and women’s sides earned spots in the CAA tournament. However, both fell just short of their first ever finals appearances.

The women were especially impressive, compiling an 8-3 CAA record (13-6 overall). Predicted to finish eighth in the CAA preseason coaches poll, the Lady Seahawks surprised all and snuck into second place on the last match day of the regular season.

After a first round bye in the CAA tournament, the Lady Seahawks bowed out with a 2-0 loss to James Madison in the semifinal. The Dukes avenged a 2-0 loss at UNCW earlier this season only to fall to Old Dominion in Saturday’s final.

Despite the 13-6 record and impressive resume, the Seahawks were left out of the NCAA Tournament.

It has certainly been a season of bests and firsts for the Lady Seahawks. Their 13 regular season wins set the new mark for most wins in a season. In addition, their second-place conference finish is the highest in program history.

In early September, UNCW received a regional ranking for the first time in school history. The Lady Seahawks remained regionally ranked for the remainder of the season, ending up eighth in the Southeast.

The great campaign definitely did not go unnoticed, with head coach Paul Cairney sharing Coach of the Year honors with national 11th William & Mary’s John Daly.

Junior Jenny Cauble and sophomore Kelly Renkin were both voted to the All-CAA first team while Junior Ashley Church earned a spot on the second team. Freshman goalkeeper Jamie Balzarini was also selected to the All-Rookie team.

With only three seniors departing, the future is particularly bright for this rising program.

On the men’s side, the Seahawks snagged the final conference tournament spot with a thrilling 2-0 win over Georgia State in hurricane conditions at UNCW. However, their tournament run was cut short at the hands of Old Dominion, who downed the Seahawks 1-0 in overtime.

After starting off 0-4 in conference play, the Seahawks turned the ship impressively, going 6-1 in their final matches for a conference record of 6-5 (11-7-1 overall). Highlights from the season include a monster 1-0 win away to national fifth-ranked Duke and a 3-0 thrashing of 21st Old Dominion.

Four Seahawks picked up individual honors at the conclusion of the season. Goalkeeper Brad Knighton was included in the All-CAA first team while senior Chris Murray earned second team honors, and freshman Pedro Pereira was selected for the All-Rookie team.

Senior defender Russell Bienias picked up academic honors with his selection to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team.

The Seahawks lose eight key seniors this year. However, with such a strong freshman influence over the course of the season, they’ll still be returning loads of experience.