Long Island Rough Riders midfielder Kimberly Marra was named the United Women’s Soccer’s East Conference player of the year while New Jersey Copa FC defender Rebeeca Raber nabbed honors as the conference’s leading defensive player.

Marr was the two-way difference make for Long Island this season, playing in the central midfield as a playmaker and a destroyer while also spending time in the defense.

The former Iona College standout captained the Rough Riders in most of her 10 appearances in 2017 and finished fourth in team scoring (three goals, assist).

She was second in minutes played (810) and turned out to be head coach Adam Whitehead’s most consistent player. She was named to the UWS team of the week on three occasions. The last time was in Week X when Marra scored three goals in two wins to end the season and leap-frog New England into second place and into the postseason.

Raber returned for her second season with NJCFC and led the East’s best defense to a stingy seven goals allowed in 10 conference games.

New Jersey won its second straight regular season title and Raber again led the team in minutes played – 900 in 2017 (1,756 in two seasons) – while adding two assists. Her 900 minutes played this past campaign was tied with nine other players for tops in the league.

Raber was named to the UWS team of the week on two occasions, the last time in Week VII when NJCFC recorded two wins and outscored the opposition by a 6-1 margin. This past offseason, Raber scored the game-winning goal for Durham University in England to win the national Ccampionship.

All-East Conference first team

F FURTUNA VELAJ (New York Surf)
F CARISSIMA CUTRONA (Western New York Flash)
F HALEY CRAWFORD (Lancaster Inferno)
MF BRENNA BROWN (New England Mutiny)
MF JACKIE BRUNO (New Jersey Copa FC)
MF KIMBERLY MARRA (Long Island Rough Riders)
D JENNIFER CAFFERKY (New England Mutiny)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TAYLOR GROTH (Long Island Rough Riders)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
GK CAITIE BRODERICK (Rochester Lady Lancers)

All-East Conference second team

F JEANINE NUNEZ (New Jersey Copa FC)
F KATE HOWARTH (New England Mutiny)
F ERICA MURPHY (New York Surf)
F ERICA MODINA (Long Island Rough Riders)
MF TESA MCKIBBEN (Lancaster Inferno)
MF ALEXA SCHNEIDER (Long Island Rough Riders)
D SYDNEY CUMMINGS (New Jersey Copa FC)
D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D JENNY BITZER (New Jersey Copa FC)
GK SIERRA BONHAM (New York Magic)

Iron Women Of The Year (most minutes played)

D TRISHA CLARK (Lancaster Inferno)
D REBECCA RABER (New Jersey Copa FC)
D DANIELLE BRAUN (Western New York Flash)
D BROOKE SALMON (New York Surf)
D DYLAN PATTERSON (Rochester Lady Lancers)

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.