ETSU’s Zadrazil earns all-region honors
KANSAS CITY, Kan. – ETSU junior midfielder Sarah Zadrazil has been named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team, becoming the fourth ETSU player in the past four years to garner all-region honors.
Zadrazil recorded 20 assists and eight goals during the 2014 campaign, improving upon her own ETSU single-season assists record and helping the Bucs to a program-best 15 wins. Despite missing two games in September to join the Austria National Team in the UEFA Women's World Cup Qualifiers, Zadrazil finished the season as the nation's leader for assists (20), serving as a focal point of an ETSU offense that finished the year leading NCAA DI in scoring (3.48), goals (73) and assists (73).
After three seasons, the St. Gilgen, Austria, native has etched her name in the ETSU record book, ranking as the program's all-time leading assister (42). She also ranks second in career points (81) and sixth in career goals (20).
Zadrazil, the NCAA Division I active career leader for assists per game (0.77), is the first player in program history to earn NSCAA All-Region Second Team status. The Bucs saw two players named to the All-Southeast Region Third Team in 2011 (Jenna Caudle and Genna Petersen) and one more in 2012 (Ramey Kerns).
Furman’s DeVita earns first-team all-region recognition
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman junior Stephanie DeVita has been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Southeast Region First Team, it was announced by the organization.
A native of Simpsonville, S.C., and product of Hillcrest High School, DeVita is just the second Paladin to ever garner first team all-region honors and the first since Kaye Brownlee in 1999. DeVita, who is only the third Paladin to ever earn NSCAA All-Region honors three times, was previously named second-team All-Southeast as a freshman and third-team All-Southeast as a sophomore.
In 2014, DeVita netted 16 goals and added six assists en route to being named Southern Conference Player of the Year for the second time and first-team All-SoCon for the third time in three seasons. Her 50 career goals rank her third in Furman history and her 22 match-winning scores are the most in the history of the program.
DeVita scored eight game-winning goals this season to help the Paladins to a 13-4-2 overall record and 6-1-2 SoCon mark.
Mercer’s Blackman, Gassie named all-region
MACON, Ga. – Seniors Washida Blackman and Lauren Gassie were named to the NSCAA All-Region Third Team for the Southeast region, as announced by the organization.
Blackman and Gassie helped to lead Mercer to a 14-6-2 record, a Southern Conference tournament championship and an NCAA tournament bid. The Bears set a program record with 14 wins in a single season while earning just the second NCAA bid in program history.
Mercer, which finished the season ranked No. 9 in the Southeast region, earned the program's first end-of-season ranking.
Blackman and Gassie were both named to the All-SoCon Second Team for their efforts on the field this year.
Blackman finished second for the Bears this season with 17 points off six goals and five assists. The senior also notched two game-winning goals for the Orange and Black, putting her at fourth all-time with a total of eight. Blackman is also ranked No. 10 for Mercer in career points with 48.
Gassie led Mercer this season with 22 points off nine goals and four assists. She also secured her spot in the Mercer record books, ranking No. 2 in career assists (2), No. 6 in game-winning goals (6), No. 8 in points (58) and No. 9 in goals (19).
The NSCAA Southeast Region includes two teams that are competing in the Women's College Cup this year, Florida State and Virginia. Blackman and Gassie are two of six players from the SoCon to be named to All-Southeast Region teams.
Samford duo earns all-region nods
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Samford soccer players Anna Allen and Malcanisha Kelley both continued to rack up postseason accolades as the Bulldog sophomores were each named to the prestigious National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s (NSCAA) Southeast Region Third Team, it was announced by the organization.
Samford’s Allen and Kelley were honored alongside the best players from some of the top teams in the nation, including Florida State, Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson and Notre Dame.
Allen, from Vestavia Hills, Ala., anchored Samford’s back line in 2014 and played a key role in the team’s Southern Conference-clinching victories against Mercer and The Citadel late in the season.
Additionally, the Bulldogs’ aggressive defender helped slow down The Citadel’s speedy forward Vanessa Aponte in a must-win SoCon tournament showdown held at the Samford Track and Soccer Stadium.
In one of its biggest matches of the season, Allen and the Bulldogs’ defensive back line shut out the previously undefeated and first-place Mercer Bears in a 1-0 victory that secured Samford’s 2014 SoCon regular-season title.
Allen also earned SoCon All-Tournament honors.
Kelley, Samford’s dynamic 5-foot-10 forward from Childersburg, Ala., earned NSCAA Third-Team honors after scoring seven goals and adding five assists this year for the Bulldogs.
Also this season, Kelley garnered her second All-SoCon selection. She also notched a pair of game-winning scores for Samford in 2014. As a true freshman, Kelley earned First-Team All-SoCon honors and was named to the all-freshman team.
The Bulldogs’ Allen and Kelley were also joined on the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Teams by fellow SoCon competitors Stephanie DeVita (Furman) and Sarah Zadrazil (ETSU), as well as Mercer’s Lauren Gassie and Washida Blackman.
The Samford University soccer team concluded its 2014 campaign as regular-season SoCon champion and with a 14-8 overall record. The Bulldogs earned a 2-1 victory over 18th-ranked Auburn and posted a 7-2 record in conference play.
Samford finished the season with five players earning All-SoCon honors and coach Todd Yelton was named the SoCon Coach of the Year.
Next season, the Bulldogs will be without the efforts of 2014 seniors Amanda Abbott, Katie Danehy, Brittany Hoffman and Melissa Montgomery but will return eight starters from this year’s championship squad. Samford will also boast an additional nine returning letterwinners.