Three Lady Eagle Soccer Standouts Tabbed All-Conference USA
11/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Three Lady Eagle Soccer Standouts Tabbed All-Conference USA
CHARLOTTE - Conference USA announced its 2002 all-league teams and postseason award winners at the annual pre-tournament banquet Tuesday evening in Charlotte. The C-USA Tournament will be held Wednesday-Saturday at TransAmerica Field on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Southern Miss had three players honored with the All-Conference USA distinctions, including second team members Katie Adams (Sr., F, Collierville, Tenn.) and Leslie Schoeplein (Jr., GK, Marietta, Ga.). Freshman midfielder Micah Stephens of Alvarado, Texas, was named to the all-freshman team. The Lady Eagles finished the season with a 6-10-1 overall record and a 2-7-1 C-USA mark under third-year head coach Matt Clark.
This marks the first time in school history that the Lady Eagles had three players honored with the awards. Last season, Tricia Wiles was named to the second team.
Adams led Southern Miss with 16 points on the season, including a team-high seven goals and two assists. She also led the team in shots (62) and shots on goal (30). This is the second time that Adams was honored with an all-conference selection, as she was named to the all-freshman team in 1999.
Schoeplein set a new school record with 87 saves this season, breaking the old mark of 83 held by Hope Herron. Schoeplein led Conference USA in saves per match with a 6.69 average and also was fourth in the league in overall saves. She also had a goals-against-average of 1.33 and allowed 18 goals this season.
Stephens became the second freshman in school history named to the all-freshman team, following Adams' recognition of 1999. Stephens finished the season with five points, including one goal. She and Katie Randolph were tied for the team lead with three assists.
Regular season champion Charlotte (15-0-2), the only undefeated team in women?s college soccer, headlined the individual winners, taking home three of the top four individual awards.
Charlotte forward Courtney Crandell became the first freshman in league history to win Offensive Player of the Year honors, in addition to Freshman of the Year. Crandell has set school and conference records with 20 goals in her collegiate debut season. She leads C-USA with seven game-winning shots and ranks third in the league in shots with 61. This marks the third time in the last four years that a Charlotte player has won Offensive Player of the Year honors.
After leading the 49ers to their first outright regular season championship, head coach Neil Roberts was named Coach of the Year. In his fourth season at helm of the Charlotte program, he has led the Niners to a school-record-tying 15 victories this fall. Just the second team in league history to complete a regular season unbeaten, Charlotte has outscored its opponents 52-21 and has recorded nine of its 15 wins by two goals or more.
Saint Louis goalkeeper Meghann Burke is the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year. Burke ranks 13th in the nation with a 0.73 goals against average and has set a school record with 12 shutouts. Burke?s 13 victories in net this season are just one shy of the school record of 14, set in 1999. Conference USA?s all-time leader with 38 shutouts, this is the second time that Burke has earned the league?s Defensive Player of the Year honor (2000) and she closes out her career earning all-conference honors all four years at SLU.
Charlotte and Saint Louis led the way with three first team selections, followed by Marquette with two and Cincinnati, East Carolina and South Florida with one each.
First-Team All-Conference USA
F: Courtney Crandell, Charlotte
F: Kate Gordon, Marquette
F: Jamie Perry, Saint Louis
MF: Mikel Casey, Charlotte
MF: Amanda Duffy, East Carolina
MF: Jenny Kehl, Saint Louis
MF: Tia Opliger, South Florida
D: Anne Dalecky, Marquette
D: Heather Herweh, Cincinnati
D: Kim Moore, Charlotte
GK: Meghann Burke, Saint Louis
Second-Team All-Conference USA
F: Katie Adams, Southern Miss
F: Amy Simonson, Cincinnati
MF: Nikki Hawkins, Houston
MF: Jennie Leeder, Charlotte
MF: Anne Loder, Marquette
MF: Julianne Sitch, DePaul
D: Ashley Fortenberry, Houston
D: Penny Perrott, East Carolina
D: Alison Sinclair, Houston
GK: Leslie Schoeplein, Southern Miss
GK: Katarina Wicksell, Memphis
Third-Team All-Conference USA
F: Tara Kidwell, UAB
F: Jill Knottek, UAB
F: Adrienne Sufferidge, UAB
MF: Alison Baker, Memphis
MF: Kristen Jensen, Marquette
MF: Colleen Lake, Tulane
D: Gina Lower, Louisville
D: Briana McCarty, UAB
D: Megan McNiff, Saint Louis
D: Mindy Nixon, East Carolina
GK: Breck Bankster, South Florida
All-Freshman (No position restriction)
Courtney Crandell, F, Charlotte
Julianne Sitch, F, DePaul
Meghan McCallion, F, East Carolina
Kelly Golden, F/MF, Houston
Sarah Core, D, Louisville
Julie Thompson, F/MF, Marquette
Nicky McLeod, MF, Memphis
Christie Cigno, MF, Saint Louis
Katie Reed, MF/F, South Florida
Micah Stephens, D, Southern Miss
Kristin Weegar, GK, Tulane
Individual Awards
Freshman of the Year
Courtney Crandell, Charlotte
Defensive Player of the Year
Meghann Burke, Saint Louis
Offensive Player of the Year
Courtney Crandell, Charlotte
Coach of the Year
Neil Roberts, Charlotte