USC All-Mid-Atlantic Region Team
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - On Monday afternoon the United Soccer Coaches announced their NCAA Division III All-Region Teams. Among the student-athletes honored were five Messiah women's soccer players on the Mid-Atlantic Region Team. Senior goalkeeper
Sara Yunez, senior defender
DJ Cole, junior defender
Barb Foster, junior midfielder
Sunny Gelnovatch, and junior forward
Brooke Firestone were all named First Team, taking four of the 11 spots on top team from the Mid-Atlantic Region.
DJ Cole earned her third-straight First Team honor on Monday while Firestone and Gelnovatch picked up their second-straight accolade. The nods are the first of their career for Yunez and Foster.
Cole earns her third-straight honor after anchoring a defensive line that was one of the best in the country this season. Messiah allowed just five goals this season for a 0.221 goals against average, the best mark in the country. Cole started all 22 games on the defensive line this season and made a total of 66 starts in her career.
As mentioned,
Brooke Firestone earned her second-straight First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region nod thanks to her ability to put the ball in the back of the net. The junior tallied a team-high 20 goals during the regular season and added seven assists to help Messiah to a 3.50 goals per game average during the 2018 season. Firestone showed off her scoring prowess often this year with at least one goal in 14 of Messiah's 22 games.
Sunny Gelnovatch also earns her second-straight All-Region accolade after another stellar season in the midfield. The three-time First Team All-MAC Commonwealth honoree was the second leading scorer for the Falcons this season with 10 goals and six assists. Her consistent and steady presence in the midfield allowed Messiah to control possession for large stretches of games this season.
Defensively,
Barb Foster earned her first All-Region award with a First Team honor. Foster helped anchor a defensive line this season that allowed just five goals all season, including 85 total shots in 22 matches (3.86 shots per game). Their 0.221 goals against average is the best in the country, just slightly ahead of Washington University (0.237).
Between the pipes,
Sara Yunez logged more than 1,400 minutes making 25 saves while allowing just the five goals on the year en route to her first career All-Region award. She held a 17-1-2 record on the season while completing seven shutouts with a 0.833 save percentage.
Messiah wrapped up their season just over a week ago in the Sweet 16. The Falcons finished the season with a 19-1-2 overall record and a trip to the Sweet 16 for the 18th time in the last 19 seasons.
