SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman midfielder Isabella Gutierrez has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. Chattanooga defender Maggie Shaw was named the Defensive Player of the Year and the Mocs’ head coach, Gavin McKinney, was named SoCon Coach of the Year after his squad compiled a 6-2-1 conference record and finished third in the standings, the highest finish in program history. Furman’s Nieva Gaither, a midfielder, 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 includes 12 players due to a tie in the voting while the second features 11, 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 each. Chattanooga totaled three all-conference selections, while Wofford placed two and The Citadel and UNC Greensboro had one all-conference selection apiece.
 
Gutierrez finished conference play tied for second in the league in points (10) and points per game (1.25) and was in second in goals (four), and goals per game (0.50). The junior from Statesboro, Georgia, was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week on March 9 and was honored as the March Offensive Player of the Month. Gutierrez, the first Furman player to be named Player of the Year since 2014, is the seventh Furman player to be honored and the ninth overall recognition for the Paladins as Emily Turgeon and Stephanie DeVita each won the award twice.  
 
Shaw anchored the backline for Chattanooga, leading the Mocs to five shutouts, second-most amongst league teams, and 0.53 goals against average, third in the league. The junior from Columbia, South Carolina, played and started in nine games for the Mocs, who earned a spot in the SoCon tournament semifinals for the first time in program history.
 
Gaither made a big impact in the Furman lineup, starting all eight games for the Paladins and netting two goals for the squad that is 6-0-2 entering the SoCon semifinals as the No. 2 seed. Her four assists lead the Paladins and are tied for fourth in the conference. The Lilburn, Georgia, native is the SoCon-leading 10th freshman of the year for the Paladins and the second in a row after Jasmine Greene became the first since 2013 when she was honored a season ago.
 
McKinney, who is in his sixth season as the leader of the Mocs, was named Southern Conference Coach of the Year for the first time in his career. He’s just the second coach from Chattanooga to be awarded the honor, joining J.D. Kyzer in 2003. Chattanooga, the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Championship, was one of just two league teams to keep regular-season champion Samford out of the win column this season, as it played to a scoreless draw with the Bulldogs to open league play.
 
Samford placed a league-best five players on the first team. Forward Taylor Yount, a second-team selection a year ago, was top-5 in league contests in shots and shots per game while adding three goals. Midfielder Alyssa Frazier, defender Lexi Orman, and goalkeeper Morgan McAslan earned spots on the first team for the second consecutive year and are joined by defender Kylie Gazza. Frazier had three assists and two game-winning goals for the Bulldogs, who won at least a share of the regular-season championship for the seventh straight season, while Orman and Gazza anchored the Samford backline and aided McAslan, who led the league in shutouts in conference play, amassing six solo and another combined in just nine games. McAslan, a native of Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, had a league-best 0.22 goals against average in conference play and a .909 save percentage. She was named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week on March 16 and the March Defensive Player of the Month.
 
Furman forward Greene, a first-team selection for the second straight season, and midfielder Miya Poplin join Gutierrez on the all-conference first team. Gaither earned a spot on the second team at midfielder and was joined by defender Faith Hauberg. In conference contests, Gaither was fourth in the league in points (eight) and points per game (1.00).
 
Mercer defender Brie Pavol was the lone first-team selection for the Bears, who placed a league-best four on the second team. Forwards Ally Fordham and Aliah Kitchens were joined by midfielder Ciara Whitely and goalkeeper Jordyn Ebert. Fordham led the league in goals (five) and goals per game (0.62) in conference contests and tied for second with Gutierrez in both points (10) and points per game (1.25). Four of her goals were game-winners, also a league best. Pavol helped anchor the Mercer defense, providing support for Ebert who led the league in saves (48) and saves per game (6.00) in conference action.  
 
Shaw was the lone first-team all-conference selection for Chattanooga, who placed forward Chloe Arnold and defender Lauren Dluzewski on the second team. Arnold amassed seven points in the Mocs’ nine conference games and led the team with four goals and nine points overall.  
 
Wofford had two second-team selections, placing forward Rachel Rasins and midfielder Katie Gilligan on the squad. Rasins netted two goals and two assists in eight games played, while Gilligan added three assists for the Terriers.
 
The Citadel forward Suzuka Yosue, a second-team selection a year ago, was The Citadel’s lone selection, claiming a spot on the first team and becoming the first Bulldog to earn first-team honors since midfielder Mariana Garcia in 2012. UNCG defender Ashley Avelino was honored on the second team.
 
Furman placed three student-athletes on the all-freshman team, while Chattanooga and Wofford both added a pair. ETSU, Mercer, Samford and Western Carolina each placed one.
 
No. 1 Samford hosts No. 4 Mercer on Friday, April 9, at 2 p.m. CT, while No. 2 Furman hosts No. 3 Chattanooga on Saturday, April 10, at 7 p.m. ET in the SoCon Women’s Soccer Championship semifinals. Both contests will air on ESPN+. The championship match, hosted by the highest remaining seed on April 16 or April 17, will also air on ESPN+.
 
 2020-21 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team

 Player of the Year – Isabella Gutierrez, Jr., MF, Furman
Defensive Player of the Year – Maggie Shaw, Jr., D, Chattanooga
Coach of the Year – Gavin McKinney, Chattanooga
Freshman of the Year – Nieva Gaither, MF, Furman
 
First Team
F – Suzuka Yosue, The Citadel
F – Jasmine Greene, Furman
F – Taylor Yount, Samford
M – Isabella Gutierrez, Furman
M – Miya Poplin, Furman
M – Alyssa Frazier, Samford
D – Brie Pavol, Mercer
D – Kylie Gazza, Samford
D – Lexi Orman, Samford
D – Maggie Shaw, Chattanooga
GK – Morgan McAslan, Samford
 
Second Team
F – Ally Fordham, Mercer
F – Aliah Kitchens, Mercer
F – Caroline Orman, Samford
F – Chloe Arnold, Chattanooga
F – Rachel Rasins, Wofford
M – Nieva Gaither, Furman
M – Ciara Whitely, Mercer
M – Katie Gilligan, Wofford
D – Faith Hauberg, Furman
D – Ashley Avelino, UNCG
D – Lauren Dluzewski, Chattanooga
GK – Jordyn Ebert, Mercer
 
All-Freshman Team
Sinoxolo Cesane, ETSU
Addison Corn, Furman
Nieva Gaither, Furman
Miya Poplin, Furman
Kendall Cook, Mercer
Ella Simpson, Samford
Kendra Mueller, Chattanooga
Ao Yamada, Chattanooga
Maggie Lloyd, Western Carolina
Mia Bookhard, Wofford
Olivia Hughes, Wofford