Four Spartans earn NSCAA all-region honors
KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Four UNCG women's soccer players have earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Southeast Region accolades, the organization announced recently. Kelsey Kearney, Cat Barnekow, Tabitha Padgett and Jenn Partenheimer were honored.
Kearney, Barnekow and Padgett earned second-team distinction, while Partenheimer took a spot on the third team. All four of them were All-Southern Conference First-Team selections this year. The four all-region selections are the most for UNCG since 1997, when the Spartans also had four.
Kearney was the Southern Conference Championship's Most Outstanding Player after posting shutouts in all three contests. The goalkeeper from Durham, N.C., matched the school record with 12 shutouts this season, turning in a 0.55 goals against average, the second-best in school history and 11th-best in NCAA Division I this year. She was the SoCon Player of the Week on Aug. 31 and became UNCG's career shutouts leader this season in just her junior year. A team captain, she was also named to the Under Armour Invitational All-Tournament Team after shutting out Southern Cal in UNCG's opener of the tournament.
Barnekow had a breakout junior season, exploding for career highs in points (22), goals (four) and assists (14). Her 14 assists led the SoCon and were third in NCAA Division I, while she was fourth in the nation in assists per game (0.64). The 14 assists were also the third-most in a single season in UNCG history. The Santa Rosa, Calif., midfielder also turned in her first career multi-goal game this season with a pair against Georgia Southern on Oct. 1 and was named to the Under Armour Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Padgett, a sophomore forward from Orange Park, Fla., earned all-region recognition for the second straight year after taking third-team honors as a freshman. This year, she was UNCG's second-leading scorer with 25 points on the season, sharing the team lead with 10 goals. She also had five assists, giving her career highs in points, goals and assists. The 2009 SoCon Co-Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Padgett was the SoCon Player of the Week on Oct. 5 and was also named to the Under Armour Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Partenheimer picked up her first career all-region honor after turning in career highs with seven goals, four assists and 18 points. A team captain, Partenheimer played central midfield for the Spartans, helping an offense that led the SoCon in scoring and a defense that led the league in shutouts and goals against average. The Apex, N.C., native earned SoCon Championship All-Tournament honors, assisting on the game-winning goal in the title game. She also scored the game-winner in UNCG's 2-1 win over then-No. 10 Wake Forest on Aug. 23.
As a whole, UNCG went 19-2-1 overall and 11-0-0 in the Southern Conference this season, setting numerous school records along the way. The Spartans matched the school record for wins (originally set by the 1997 squad, which went 19-6-0) and had the fewest losses in school history, surpassing the record set in 2008 when UNCG went 16-4-3.
The Spartans also rattled off a school-record 16-game winning streak after its lone regular-season loss, the second-longest streak in the nation entering the NCAA tournament. UNCG won its fifth straight SoCon regular-season title, its seventh SoCon tournament title, made its ninth NCAA tournament appearance and earned a top-10 national ranking for the first time since 1996.
SAMFORD SOCCER: BULLDOGS' NAMMOUR NAMED FIRST-TEAM NSCAA ALL-REGION
--- Samford's senior from Spring, Texas, helped lead the Bulldogs to the SoCon championship game ---
KANSAS CITY, Kan. --- Samford soccer player Colette Nammour was honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America on Monday as the Bulldogs' senior defender from Spring, Texas, garnered First-Team All-Southeast Region honors. On the prestigious NSCAA First Team, Nammour joined 11 student-athletes, all of whom competed at Atlantic Coast Conference schools.
Nammour, who was named First-Team All-Southern Conference and to the All-Tournament Team of the SoCon Tournament, started in 80 career matches for the Bulldogs and in all 21 games of the 2010 campaign.
This season, Nammour helped lead Samford to a 13-5-3 overall record, an 8-2-1 conference mark and an appearance in the SoCon Tournament championship game. She played a team-high 1,880 minutes and was a key part of the Bulldogs' back line that only allowed 17 goals.
During the last four years, Nammour started in all but one match and was also a key cog in Samford's defense that finished the 2009 season ranked first in the nation in goals-against average. For her dominating play, she was named to the 2009 SoCon All-Tournament Team and was previously a member of the OVC All-Newcomer Team.
Nammour helped Samford reach the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and will go down as one of the most consistent defenders in school history. She started in all 21 matches this season and was included in the starting lineup in 80 of the team's 81 matches of her career.
Nammour is a member of Samford's record-setting senior class which will go down as one the winningest classes in school history. Since 2007, Nammour and the Bulldogs have compiled an impressive 49-21-11 overall record, and have helped lead the Bulldogs to a school-record 30-5-5 conference mark and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Garcia Tabbed to NSCAA All-Southeast Region Team
Kansas City, Kan. - The Citadel soccer freshman forward Mariana Garcia was selected to the 2010 NSCAA/Performance Subaru NCAA Division I Women All-Southeast Region Second Team.
The National Soccer Coaches Association of America, the largest association of coaches in the world, selected three teams in each of the women's regions Central, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Pacific, South, Southeast and West.
The NSCAA serves as the recognized leader in naming All-America soccer players and selects All-America teams at every level of play. An All-Region selection process is carried out by ballot at the end of the regular season. The All-Region selections are based on the various levels of play that the school has selected for seasonal play (NCAA Division I, II or III; NAIA or NCCAA).
Garcia started in all 21 matches for the Bulldogs in her rookie season and led the team in goals (10), shots (53), shots on goal (32), points (21) and game winning goals (5). Among the SoCon stat leaders, she finished tied first for goals scored and held sole possession of first place in game winning goals. Garcia plowed her way into The Citadel record books earning sixth place for most goals in a career and tied for seventh for most points in a career. Additionally, she finished in third place for most points and goals in a season and tied for third for most shots in a season.
For her performance this season, Garcia was tabbed the SoCon Player and Freshman of the year and garnered first and freshmen team All-Conference honors. Garcia was also selected to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's College Soccer Freshman Top 100 Players to Watch at No. 100 and was ranked No. 2 on the website's Top 20 ranking in the Southern Conference, improving for a previous ranking of No. 15.
"This is a huge honor for Mariana and The Citadel Soccer program," said head soccer coach Bob Winch. "There are some quality soccer players on these teams and Mariana certainly belongs."
For more information on Bulldog Soccer, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
Furman's Hall Named To NSCAA All-South Region Squad
Greenville, S.C. - Furman junior soccer standout Martha Hall has been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-South Region Third Team, it was announced this week.
The forward netted a league-leading 10 goals, recorded six assists and 26 total points while helping the Paladins to a 9-8-3 mark in 2010. Her 26 points also tied for the league lead and her six assists ranked fifth in the Southern Conference.
Hall, who earned first team All-SoCon honors, netted three game-winning goals leading Furman to victories over High Point, Georgia Southern and Western Carolina.
The Knoxville, Tenn., native was one of seven SoCon players to earn all-region honors.
First Team
GK Chantel Jones, Jr., Virginia
D Crystal Dunn, Fr., North Carolina
D Colette Namour, Sr., Samford
D Toni Pressley, Jr., Florida State
M Amanda DaCosta, Jr., Florida State
M Sinead Farrelly, Sr., Virginia
M Meghan Klingenberg, Sr., North Carolina
M Kristie Mewis, So., Boston College
F Vicki DiMartino, So., Boston College
F Kealia Ohai, Fr., North Carolina
F Katie Stengel, Fr., Wake Forest
Second Team
GK Kelsey Kearney, Jr., UNC Greensboro
D Devon Dowell, Sr., Jacksonville
D Caitlin McDowell, Sr., Maryland
D Alyssa Pember, Jr., Boston College
M Catherine Barnekow, Jr., UNC Greensboro
M Amber Brooks, So., North Carolina
M Bianca D'agostino, Sr., North Carolina
F Mariana Garcia, Fr., The Citadel
F Courtney Jones, Jr., North Carolina
F Meghan Lenczyk, Sr., Virginia
F Tabitha Padgett, So., UNC Greensboro
Third Team
GK Jillian Mastroianni, Jr., Boston College
F Martha Hall, Sr., Furman
F Marky Boyce, Sr., Charleston Southern
F Marika Gray, Sr., Virginia Tech
M Liz Fink, Jr., Jacksonville
M Tori Huster, Jr., Jacksonville
M Mollie Pathman, Fr., Duke
M Domenica Hodak, So., Maryland
M Jennifer Partenheimer, Sr., UNC Greensboro
D Jaclyn Logue, So., Wake Forest
D Ashley Rape, So., Duke