New Paltz Women's Soccer Senior Rachel Eisert Solidifies Storied Legacy as Program's Second Ever All-American
New Paltz Athletic Communications
New Paltz, NY — All-SUNYAC, All-Region, SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year.
And now, All-American.
To round out her legendary career, women's soccer senior captain Rachel Eisert was named to the NCAA Division III All-American second team following a 2024 championship season.
"Coming in as a freshman, you never think your career is going to amount to something like that," said Eisert. "When coach called me, it felt surreal. Being recognized and being able to share this accolade with my team is something I am extremely grateful for and it's truly humbling."
Listed alongside 11 other players from across the country. The forward is only the second women's soccer player to be named to the All-American roster, as previous Hawks goalkeeper Stephanie Vega earned third-team honors following the 2011 season. However, Eisert was the first to be named to the second team.
"There is no greater feeling than to see her be recognized for something I think she has deserved throughout her whole career," said Hawks coach Mike Eckberg. "She put in place a process that allowed her and her team to grow in a way that celebrated the success of others, which Rachel was always the first one to point out."
Eisert has engraved her name in the record books, as she leads the program in all-time points (101), all-time goals (42) and all-time assists (17). She also holds the single-season points record (34) and goals record (15), surpassing last year's total she set of 12. From her freshman to senior season, Eisert constantly improved her game, and set a new career-high each year in both goals and points.
"She clearly wanted, not this accolade per se, but she just wanted to grow her craft and ability as a leader," said Eckberg. "And then to see the ability translate over to her teammates, that is what was really exciting."
In her 2024 All-American season, Eisert totaled 1,364 total minutes played, while having scored 15 goals and dishing out four assists for 34 points total. She also netted five game-winners across 20 games played. Leading the team as captain, Eisert was a catalyst for the team's success, on and off the field.
"If you didn't know her and you saw her play for the first time you would probably be really scared to talk to her," said Eckberg. "And then you realize very quickly just how amazing of a person she is. She's a straight shooter and not someone that is trying to hold herself above others and that's what I truly appreciate about Rachel. She's never tried to make this program about her."
This season, the best on record for the program, the Hawks registered a record nine All-SUNYAC selections, including Eiser's second as SUNYAC Offensive Player of the Year and senior keeper Maddie Franklin as Defensive Player of the Year. SUNY New Paltz also landed four All-Region III Team picks, including Eisert, Franklin, Treble, and senior midfielder Alexis DeLeo.
"I mean my class in particular, coming in as freshmen, our biggest goal was to win a SUNYAC championship," Eisert said. "Through trial and error, defeats and wins, coming out on top our senior year and sweeping accolades through and through, it feels so good."
Along with her dedication on the field, Eisert works hard in the classroom as well. In all her years of eligibility, she landed on the SUNYAC Commissioner's Academic Honor Roll. Notably, she earned a perfect GPA at the close of the Fall 2023 semester, which secured her the honor of SUNYAC Scholar Athlete of the Year. In the same season, she was named to the Academic All-District Team and was, the program's first, United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-American. But in 2024, Eisert was recognized on the national level for her talents on the pitch as well.
"I will forever be indebted to New Paltz women's soccer. It's taught me lessons, it's taken me places I otherwise never would have been," said Eisert. "And it gave me the best group of girls and sisters that I could ever ask for who I know I will be around 50 years from now."
The Bellmore, NY native will graduate at the end of the academic year with a degree in Communication Disorders — and will bring home a lot of hardware from her decorated career as a Hawk.
"I can't wait to come back and see where this program is in five, 10 years from now," Eisert said. "We've set a new standard here this year and I know coach is going to do a great job recruiting and adding to what we built over the past four years.
