Annville, PA — Coming off the team's fourth consecutive regular season with an unbeaten record, the Messiah women's soccer team was appropriately honored by the Middle Atlantic Conference Tuesday, posting eight All-Commonwealth Conference selections as well as the league's rookie of the year and player of the year awards.
Senior
Amanda Naeher was named the Commonwealth Player of the Year while freshman
Alicia Frey earned Commonwealth Rookie of the Year honors, the third straight year Messiah claimed the league's top individual award and second consecutive newcomer accolade.
Seniors Joanna Haqq and
Katie Hoffsmith joined Naeher as first-team selections, as did sophomores
Alex Brandt, 2009 Commonwealth Rookie of the Year
Corinne Wulf, and Frey. Senior
Molly Bletz and junior
Kelsey Gorman rounded off the all-league awards for the Falcons, both being named to the All-Commonwealth Second Team.
Naeher proved to be the cream of the crop once again, as the two-time first team All-American and 2008 NCAA Division III Player of the Year improved her game in her senior season.
Naeher's numbers were downright offensive — literally — as she led the Falcons, the conference and the entire Division III nation in points per game (3.76), goals per game (1.65), total goals (28) and total points (64). In Messiah's 7-0 win over then-21st-ranked Widener University Oct. 16th, Naeher became the 16th player in Division III history to score 100 goals in her career, the first Messiah player to reach the century mark.
When senior
Erin Hench — last season's C'Wealth Player of the Year and NCAA Division III National Player of the Year — fell to injury early in the season, head coach
Scott Frey looked to Wulf and
Alicia Frey to somehow fill the large shoes of Hench.
Wulf and Frey delivered with 23 combined total goals and 65 points, as Wulf led the team in assists with 12. Haqq earned her second straight first team accolades with thee goals, six assists and what her skipper calls her “dynamic play on the wing.”
Brandt, meanwhile, lived up to pre-season hype with her high level of technical ability in the midfield. The sophomore transfer from the University of Central Florida was tied for fourth on the team in goals (seven) and second on the team in assists (10), earning First Team All-Commonwealth honors in her first season in the league.
But as Messiah's offense won over crowds by scoring 91 total goals, it was the play of the back line that proved to be crucial for the Falcons in their 2010 perfect regular-season.
Often overlooked, Messiah's defense earned three all-league honors with Hoffsmith earning first team accolades, along with Bletz's third straight second team selection and Gorman's first second team award.
Bletz led the defense offensively with nine points from the left back position, scoring her first two collegiate goals this season while sharing the defensive assists lead with Hoffsmith at five apiece. Gorman scored her third career goal via header this season as well.
As a whole, the three starters anchored the one of the best defenses in the nation, as the Falcons allowed just 0.12 goals per game with 15 shutouts, both marks tied for first in all of Division III.
Messiah's eight all-conference selections were one more than what the squad earned in last season. The Falcons' overall dominance was still evident by comparison, however, as Arcadia posted the next highest amount of all-league selections with four.
Alvernia University's Bill Bonewitz, earned Commonwealth Coach of the Year honors in his fourth year at the helm of the Crusaders. Bonewitz lead his team to 12 wins in the regular season — a program record — and the school's first appearance in the Commonwealth Conference Tournament in the sport of women's soccer.
First Team All-Commonwealth
Player — Team — Pos. — Yr. — Hometown (High School)
Alicia Frey — Messiah — Forward— Fr. — Dillsburg, PA (Northern)
Joanna Haqq — Messiah — Forward — Sr. — Belchertown, MA (Belchertown)
Amy Mesce — Alvernia — Forward — Jr. — Pittstown, NJ (Delaware Valley Regional)
Laura Wingert — Elizabethtown — Forward — So. — Hanover Twp., PA (Holy Redeemer)
Corinne Wulf — Messiah — Forward — So. — Columbus, OH (Upper Arlington)
Alex Brandt — Messiah — Midfield — So. — Annapolis, MD (Mechanicsburg)
Amanda Naeher — Messiah — Midfield — Sr. — Seymour, CT (Christian Heritage)
Katie O'Malley — Arcadia — Midfield — Sr. — Coatesville, PA (Coatesville Area)
Amy Bunting — Elizabethtown — Defender — So. — Lancaster, PA (McCaskey)
Brittany Drosdak — Arcadia — Defender — Jr. — Allentown, PA (Allentown Central Catholic)
Katie Hoffsmith — Messiah — Defender — Sr. — Manheim, PA (Manheim Central)
Jackie Law — Arcadia — Goalie — So. — Scotch Plains, NJ (Scotch Plains-Fanwood)
Second Team All-Commonwealth
Player — Team — Pos. — Yr. — Hometown (High School)
Janelle Jablonski — Arcadia — Forward — Sr. — Orchard Park, NY (Orchard Park)
Nicole Snyder — Lebanon Valley — Forward — So.— Hegins, PA (Tri Valley)
Caryinna Yenchak — Widener — Forward — Sr. — Ashley, PA (Bishop Hoban)
Paige Minka — Elizabethtown — Midfield — Sr. — Avondale, PA (Kennett)
Felicia Sippel — Alvernia — Midfield — Sr. — Cinnaminson, NJ (St. Hubert)
Heather Tran — Lebanon Valley — Midfield — Fr. — Nottingham, PA (Solanco)
Molly Bletz — Messiah — Defender — Sr. — Carlisle, PA (Carlisle)
Danielle Douglass — Lebanon Valley — Defender — Fr. — Robbinsville, NJ (Robbinsville)
Jessie Furia — Widener — Defender — Sr. — Morton, PA (Springfield)
Kelsey Gorman — Messiah — Defender — Jr. — Manheim, PA (Lancaster Mennonite)
Katelin Hummel — Alvernia — Defender — Fr. — Andreas, NJ (Tamaqua Area)
Olivia Giuliano — Albright — Goalie — Jr. — Nutley, NJ (Nutley)
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Amanda Naeher, Messiah
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Alicia Frey, Messiah
COACH OF THE YEAR: Bill Bonewitz, Alvernia
