Conference Carolinas Announces Soccer Award Winners
Conference Carolinas Announces Soccer Award Winners
High Point, NC> Conference Carolinas announces the All-Conference teams during this week's Conference Carolinas Men's & Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. Awards include All-Conference First, Second, & Third teams, Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Regular Season Champions. Head coaches from conference member institutions nominate and then vote on the award winners who represent the best of the best for the league.
The conference championships started Monday with the top eight teams qualifying for quarterfinal action. Semifinal play resumes Thursday (women) and Friday (men) with the championship finals on Saturday (women) and Sunday (men). All games are played at the highest remaining seed. The women's tournament champion receives an automatic berth to the NCAA DII championships while the top six regionally ranked men's teams will qualify for postseason play.
Women's Soccer Player of the Year
Gabriella Reid, Limestone
Limestone College sophomore forward Gabriella Reid has been named the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year after leading the conference with 26 overall total points and seven game-winning goals. Reid ranks second in the league with 11 goals and is tied for eighth with four assists, leading the Saints to 11 or more wins in consecutive seasons for the first time in team history.
Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year
Mary Dorn, Lees-McRae
Mary Dorn led the Bobcats to a superb regular season, directing the backline to four clean sheets in conference play as Lees-McRae allowed just eight goals against league opponents. The senior defender equaled a career-best with two goals this season, while starting every match for the Bobcats.
Women's Soccer Freshman of the Year
Aaliyah Jackson, Pfeiffer
Aaliyah Jackson led Conference Carolinas during the regular season conference play with eight goals (12 total). Jackson scored a career-high four goals in the final regular season match at Belmont Abbey last weekend registering three game-winning goals throughout her rookie season. She finished her first campaign in 2012 appearing inside the top-five of four offensive categories.
Women's Soccer Coach of the Year
John Constable, Converse
John Constable has taken the Valkyries to new heights this fall leading Converse to their first Conference Carolinas tournament qualifying game as the No. 7 seed in the league championships. Converse and Constable made discernible improvements from the 2-15-1 record in 2011, jumping-up to a 7-10-2 mark in 2012.
Women's All-Conference 1st-Team
Gabriella Reid, Limestone -Forward
Aaliyah Jackson, Pfeiffer -Forward
Brooke Foil, Queens –Forward
Sarah Mahar, Lees-McRae -Forward
Kaitlyn Kerrigan, Lees-McRae -Midfielder
Silvia Vazquez, Belmont Abbey -Midfielder
Ashley Spanitz, Limestone –Midfielder
Mary Dorn, Lees-McRae -Defender
Holli Schwartz, Limestone -Defender
Casey Craft, Erskine -Defender
Carson Moore, Barton -Goalkeeper
Women's All-Conference 2nd-Team
Mary Stringini, Queens -Forward
Marybeth Sullivan, Lees-McRae -Forward
Darby Boyd, Converse –Forward
Emily Jones, Lees-McRae -Midfielder
Nadia Butt, Queens -Midfielder
Heidi Steger, King -Midfielder
Jennifer Swanstrom, Queens –Defender
Abby Brack, North Greenville -Defender
Patrice Clarke, Mount Olive -Defender
Alana Ryczek, Belmont Abbey -Defender
Britt Polly, Pfeiffer -Goalkeeper
Women's All-Conference 3rd-Team
Leah Kennington, Limestone -Forward
Meghan Philp, Belmont Abbey -Forward
Ellie Barnes, Mount Olive –Forward
Jalynn Fortt, Coker -Midfielder
Natalie Johnson, Converse -Midfielder
Erin Gray, Erskine -Midfielder
Mallory Overholt, Lees-McRae –Midfielder
Ariana Smith, Lees-McRae -Defender
Leeann Sullivan, Lees-McRae -Defender
Sarah Rountree, Coker -Defender
Kelsey Seretis, Queens -Goalkeeper
Women's Soccer Regular Season Champions
Men's Soccer Player of the Year
Niko Tirkkonen, Coker
Niko Tirkkonen had a breakout season during his final season for the Cobras, posting a team leading nine goals with two assists. Second in the conference in scoring and second in points with 20, Tirkkonen guided Coker to its second consecutive Conference Carolinas regular season title and its fourth consecutive tournament appearance.
Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year
James Sweeney, Coker
Goalkeeper James Sweeney posted a record of 12-4-1 this season, while anchoring a Cobra defense that allowed just 11 goals the entire year. Sweeney's 0.73 goals against average and his .823 are not only tops among league goalkeepers, but ranks him among the best in the nation. He is ranked No. 15 in the nation in goals against average and No. 23 in save percentage. He posted five shutouts and helped lead Coker to an eight match unbeaten streak.
Men's Soccer Freshman of the Year
Erick Suarez, Queens
Erick Suarez of the Royals has accumulated six goals and two assists for a total of 14 points this season. The freshman forward has made 16 starts, and ranks second on Queens' squad in points, goals and game-winning-goals. In the league, Suarez is ranked in the top-10 in points, goals and game-winning-goals as well.
Men's Soccer Coach of the Year
Paul Leese, Coker
In his fourth year leading the Cobras, head coach Paul Leese has once again taken Coker to great heights. With record of 8-1-1 against league opponents, Leese has led the Cobras to back-to-back regular season titles and their fourth consecutive appearance in the Conference Carolinas Tournament.
Men's All-Conference 1st-Team
Niko Tifkkonen, Coker -Forward
Andrew Settlemire, Erskine -Forward
Jorge Mackenna, Limestone –Forward
Dante De luca, Barton -Midfielder
Carlos Recinos, Coker -Midfielder
Jack Kimber, Erskine -Midfielder
Thomas McCready, Limestone –Midfielder
Fernando Bedoya, Coker -Defender
Larry Mahon, Limestone -Defender
Akeem Prendes, Coker -Defender
James Sweeney, Coker -Goalkeeper
Men's All-Conference 2nd-Team
Sam Orritt, Limestone –Forward
James Galvani, Lees-McRae -Forward
Erick Suarez, Queens -Forward
Jose Penaloza, Belmont Abbey -Forward
Jack Bailey, Limestone -Midfielder
Thomas Metzemaekers, Limestone -Midfielder
Thiago Andrade, Queens –Midfielder
James Burke, Limestone -Defender
Calvin Bond, Limestone -Defender
Kevin Anderson, Queens -Defender
Roberto De La Vina, Erskine -Goalkeeper
Men's All-Conference 3rd-Team
Archer Bane, Barton -Forward
Felipe Netto, Queens -Forward
Daniel Jackson, Coker –Forward
Alan Cuevas, Coker -Midfielder
Ross Henderson, Erskine -Midfielder
Gersi Cilingiri, Queens -Midfielder
Scott Hudgins, Lees-McRae -Defender
Ian Murray, North Greenville -Defender
Ben Vangucci, Belmont Abbey -Defender
Joshua Dowd, Queens -Defender
Tom Godfrey, Limestone -Goalkeeper
Men's Soccer Regular Season Co-Champions
Coker College & Limestone College
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletic conference currently made up of 12 teams from North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey College, Coker College, Converse College, Erskine College, King College, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, Mount Olive College, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Queens University of Charlotte.
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