SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman midfielder Nieva Gaither has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Samford defender Kylie Gazza was named the Defensive Player of the Year and the Bulldogs’ head coach, Todd Yelton, was named SoCon Coach of the Year after his squad compiled a perfect 9-0 conference record to win the regular-season title. ETSU’s Shu Ohba, a goalkeeper, was tabbed freshman of the year.
 
The league coaches voted on a pair of all-conference teams, an all-freshman team and the four individual awards. They were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own players. The first team and second team each includes 11 players, both voted on by position. The all-freshman team also consists of 11 players but gives no regard to position.
 
Samford leads the way with six players on the all-conference teams, with Furman and Mercer closely behind with five and four, respectively. Western Carolina placed two all-conference selections, while The Citadel, ETSU, UNCG, Chattanooga and Wofford had one all-conference selection apiece.
 
Gaither finished conference play as the league leader in points (15), goals (seven) and goals per game (0.78) and was second in points per game (1.75). The sophomore from Lilburn, Georgia, was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week twice, taking home the honor on Oct. 19 and Oct. 26, the final two weeks of the regular season, amassing 12 points in her final four games. The midfielder is the eighth Furman player to be honored and the 10th overall recognition for the Paladins as Emily Turgeon and Stephanie DeVita each won the award twice. This marks the first time since 2011-12 (Rachel Shelnutt/Stephanie DeVita, Furman) that two different players from the same school have won the award in back-to-back years, as teammate Isabella Gutierrez was the SoCon Player of the Year in 2020-21. Gaither is also the first player in SoCon women’s soccer history to be named SoCon Freshman of the Year and SoCon Player of the year in consecutive seasons.  
 
Gazza anchored the backline for Samford, leading the Bulldogs to five shutouts in conference play and a 0.56 goals against average, a league best. The junior from Cumming, Georgia, played and started in all nine conference games for Samford, which earned the top seed in the SoCon Championship. Offensively, she added three goals, two of which were game- winners. Gazza is the sixth Samford player to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in just the eight years of the award.
 
Ohba made a huge impact in goal for ETSU, starting all nine SoCon games for the Bucs and recording a program-record seven shutouts this season, four of which were in conference play, as her squad secured a winning season for the first time since 2016. In league action, the native of Fujisawa, Japan, finished in the top five in goals against average (0.98), save percentage (.836), saves (46), shutouts (four) and shutouts per game (0.44). Ohba is just the third ETSU player to be recognized as the Freshman of the Year and first since Garazi Murua in 2014.
 
Yelton, in his 20th year as the leader of the Bulldogs, earns Coach of the Year for the sixth time in his career and first since the 2018 season. The Bulldogs finished a perfect 9-0 in league play after being picked second in the preseason coaches poll, including a 4-0 win over preseason favorite Furman. Under Yelton, Samford is unbeaten in 35 straight SoCon regular-season home games (32-0-3), last losing a home SoCon regular-season match in 2014 in a 3-1 setback to ETSU. The Bulldogs won at least a share of the regular-season title for the eighth straight year.
  
Samford placed three players on the first team, tied with Furman for the most in the league. Forward Taylor Yount, a repeat first-team selection, tallied five goals and 11 points for the Bulldogs. Midfielder Alyssa Frazier was honored for the third straight year, while Gazza was honored for the second straight. Frazier finished third in the league with 13 points in SoCon play and third in points per game (1.44), while leading the league in assists (five) and assists per game (0.56).
 
For the Paladins, forward Jasmine Greene, a junior, was recognized on the first team for the third time in her career. She was joined by Gaither and Gutierrez in the midfield. The trio tied for the league lead in shots (33), while Gutierrez was second amongst league players with four assists and tied for fourth in points (12).
 
Western Carolina, which finished third in the league standings, hadn’t had a first-team selection since 2012 but placed two on the 2021 first team, a first in program history. Catamount forward Valentine Pursey, one of six players to lead the nation in game-winning goals (six), four of which came in conference action, was honored alongside defender Natalie McNally. Pursey finished tied for second in goals (six), and tied for third in goals per game (0.67) and was fourth in points (12) and points per game (1.33) in SoCon games.  
 
The Citadel forward Suzuka Yosue, a repeat first-team honoree at forward, joins Mariana Garcia (2010 and 2012) as the only other Bulldog to be honored on the first team twice in her career, though Yosue is the first to do it in back-to-back seasons. The junior was in the top 10 in the SoCon in nearly every offensive category and was as high as fourth in assists (three) and assists per game (0.33) in league play.
 
Ohba was the lone first-team selection for ETSU, while Chattanooga’s Maggie Shaw, the 2020-21 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, earned a spot as a first-team defender for the Mocs.
 
Mercer placed a league-best four players on the all-conference second-team as forward Ally Fordham, midfielders Payton Schurr and Ciara Whitely and defender Kylie Buchanan were honored. Samford followed with three on the second team, giving the Bulldogs six honorees between the first and second teams. Midfielder Mary Raymond, defender Lindsay Origliasso and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan earned spots on the second team. Forward Kyndal Anderson and midfielder Miya Poplin were second-team selections for Furman, while UNCG midfielder Caroline Woods and Wofford forward Rachel Rasins were the lone selections from their respective squads.
 
ETSU, Mercer and Western Carolina each placed two student-athletes on the all-freshman team, while UNCG, Samford, Chattanooga, VMI and Wofford each placed one.
 
Four quarterfinal games highlight Friday’s Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship slate as No. 1 Samford hosts No. 8 Chattanooga at 4 p.m. CT before No. 4 ETSU and No. 5 Mercer take the field at 6:30 p.m. CT. No. 2 seed Furman hosts No. 7 The Citadel at 5:30 p.m. ET ahead of an 8 p.m. ET game between No. 3 Western Carolina and No. 6 UNCG. The semifinals will be played on Sunday, Oct. 31, at Samford and Furman, with the championship scheduled for Nov. 6 or Nov. 7 at the highest remaining seed. All contests will air on ESPN+.

2021 Women's Soccer All-Conference Team
  
Player of the Year – Nieva Gaither, So., F, Furman
Defensive Player of the Year – Kylie Gazza, Jr., D, Samford
Coach of the Year – Todd Yelton, Samford
Freshman of the Year – Shu Ohba, GK, ETSU
 

First Team
F – Suzuka Yosue, The Citadel
F – Jasmine Greene, Furman
F – Taylor Yount, Samford
F – Valentine Pursey, Western Carolina
M – Nieva Gaither, Furman
M – Isabella Gutierrez, Furman
M – Alyssa Frazier, Samford
D – Kylie Gazza, Samford
D – Maggie Shaw, Chattanooga
D – Natalie McNally, Western Carolina
GK – Shu Ohba, ETSU
 
Second Team
F – Kyndal Anderson, Furman
F – Ally Fordham, Mercer
F – Rachel Rasins, Wofford
M – Payton Schurr, Mercer
M – Ciara Whitely, Mercer
M – Caroline Woods, UNCG
M – Mary Raymond, Samford
D – Miya Poplin, Furman
D – Kylie Buchanan, Mercer
D – Lindsay Origliasso, Samford
GK – Morgan McAslan, Samford
 
All-Freshman Team
Shu Ohba, ETSU
Sydney Somogyi, ETSU
Chandler Lewis-Jenkins, Mercer
Lana Whitfield, Mercer
Chloe Lausell, UNCG
Anna Major, Samford
Sylvie Keck, Chattanooga
Riley Flanagan, VMI
Kirsten Hahn, Western Carolina
Naya Marcil, Western Carolina
Caileen Almeida, Wofford