Women's Soccer Southern Conference

Dennion, Couch Headline Women's Soccer All-Conference Teams

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Elon forward Nicole Dennion was named the Southern Conference Player of the Year and Furman’s Andrew Burr and Carlie Couch were named Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively, to headline the Southern Conference women’s soccer postseason awards announced Tuesday.

The SoCon’s 11 coaches voted on a pair of all-conference teams, an all-freshman team and the three individual awards. They were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own players. The all-conference first and second teams include 11 players each, voted on by position, while the all-freshman team consists of 11 players with no consideration for positions. Regular-season SoCon champion Furman led the way with six all-conference picks, while Elon and Samford had four each.

Dennion, a sophomore from Ewing, N.J., shares the league scoring lead with Furman forward Stephanie DeVita with 35 points. Dennion has scored a SoCon-best 15 goals on the season and has five assists to her credit en route to being named Elon’s first-ever SoCon Player of the Year. The all-conference honor is the first of her career.
 
Furman forward Couch is third in the league in scoring with 27 points on 11 goals and five assists. Ten of those goals and all five assists came in conference play as she ran away with the league scoring lead in SoCon games. Her 25 points in league games were 11 more than second-place DeVita’s 14. Couch also earned spots on the all-conference first team and the all-freshman team.

Burr earned his first career Coach of the Year award after leading the Paladins to their first regular-season title since 2003. Furman enters this weekend’s SoCon tournament semifinals with a 15-3-2 overall record and went 8-1-1 in league play to win the league by six points over Elon. Since sitting 1-2-0 after early losses to Clemson and Georgia, Furman has gone 14-1-2.

The Paladins placed a league-best five players on the all-conference first team, headlined by Couch and last season’s SoCon Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, DeVita, who is second in the league with 14 goals. India Robinson, the NCAA Division I leader with 17 assists this season, earned a spot in the midfield, while Catie Moore was picked at defender and sophomore Rose Hull, the NCAA leader in save percentage at .919, earned her second straight selection at keeper. Paladin forward Jamie Alexander earned a spot on the second team to round out Furman’s picks.

Elon defender Olivia Mackey joined Dennion on the first team, while Phoenix midfielder Chelsey Stark and defender Kimmie Krauss earned second-team honors.

Samford freshman forward Malcanisha Kelley earned first-team and all-freshman honors, while midfielders Michelle Moll and Trine Taule joined Kelley on the first team. Defender Molly Pittman earned second-team and all-freshman accolades.

Wofford defender Maggie Bosley rounded out the first team.

Appalachian State forwards Samantha Childress and Julia Holz earned second-team honors, as did Wofford keeper Kimberly Cohn and forward Chloe Brackett and UNCG midfielder Chesney White and defender Rebecca Burrows. Burrows was also an all-freshman pick. Georgia Southern midfielder Nora El-Shami completed the second team.

Appalachian State, Samford and UNCG had two all-freshman picks each. Kelley and Pittman represented Samford, while Georgia Brown joined UNCG teammate Burrows on the rookie squad. Appalachian State saw Jane Cline and Jaclyn Nieradka selected.

Furman’s Couch, The Citadel’s Lea Raedle, Davidson’s Ashley Finke, Elon’s Erin Tanhauser and Wofford’s Tanner Kaplan comprise the rest of the all-freshman squad.


Elon, Furman, Samford and Wofford all advanced to the semifinals of the SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship, to be held Friday in Spartanburg, S.C., at the Terriers’ Snyder Field. The final will take place Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN3, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

2013 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team

Player of the Year – Nicole Dennion, So., F, Elon
Coach of the Year – Andrew Burr, Furman
Freshman of the Year – Carlie Couch, F, Furman

First Team
F    Nicole Dennion, Elon
F    Carlie Couch, Furman
F    Stephanie DeVita, Furman
F    Malcanisha Kelley, Samford
MF    India Robinson, Furman
MF    Michelle Moll, Samford
MF    Trine Taule, Samford
D    Olivia Mackey, Elon
D    Catie Moore, Furman
D    Maggie Bosley, Wofford
GK    Rose Hull, Furman

Second Team
F    Samantha Childress, Appalachian State
F    Julia Holz, Appalachian State
F    Jamie Alexander, Furman
F    Chloe Brackett, Wofford
MF    Chelsey Stark, Elon
MF    Nora El-Shami, Georgia Southern
MF    Chesney White, UNCG
D    Kimmie Krauss, Elon
D    Rebecca Burrows, UNCG
D    Molly Pittman, Samford
GK    Kimberly Cohn, Wofford

All-Freshman Team
Jane Cline, Appalachian State
Jaclyn Nieradka, Appalachian State
Lea Raedle, The Citadel
Ashley Finke, Davidson
Erin Tanhauser, Elon
Carlie Couch, Furman
Georgia Brown, UNCG
Rebecca Burrows, UNCG
Malcanisha Kelley, Samford
Molly Pittman, Samford
Tanner Kaplan, Wofford
-www.SoConSports.com-