KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Last week the United Soccer Coaches announced their All-American teams for the 2023 Division III Women's Soccer season. Among the honorees were a pair of Messiah Falcons who picked up national accolades for the second-consecutive year.
Kristina Akselsen and
Jenna Skurcenski were celebrated for their strong play with the Falcons this season. Akselsen earned First Team laurels while Skurcenski picked up a Third Team nod this year.
Akselsen and Skurcenski helped the Falcons to the program's 15th Final Four appearance this year while leading the team to an overall record of 21-2-1 and their fifth-straight MAC Commonwealth Championship.
As mentioned, Akselsen picked up her second-straight First Team All-American honor after holding down the midfield for the Falcons this season. A year after being named the MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-American, Akselsen showed her ability to push forward and generate the offense this season. On the year, Akselesen scored a career high eight goals and added four assists for 20 total points on the year. Starting 23 of Messiah's 24 games, Akselsen was a constant, calming presence in the midfield for the Falcons. You could find her consistently winning balls and controlling Messiah's possession-based approach while also proving dangerous on attack.
Like Akselsen,
Jenna Skurcenski also earned her second-straight All-American honor, picking up a Third Team accolade this season. A year ago, Skurcenski was named to the First Team, but this season she additionally earned MAC Commonwealth Defensive Player of the Year honors while anchoring Messiah's backline. Skurcenski was a force to be reckoned with, starting all 24 games for the Falcons and playing nearly every minute in every game this season. As a team, Messiah allowed just 11 goals on the season with four of those coming in postseason play. The Falcons held a 0.46 goals against average on the season, good for the ninth-best mark in the country. Skurcenski finished the season with one point, but it was a beautiful one, assisting on
Brittany Laird's game-winning score against Amherst in the Sweet 16 with a perfectly weighted through ball in the 38th minute.
With multiple All-American honors in their careers, Akselsen and Skurcenski become just the 10th and 11th players in program history with at least two All-American nods in their careers.
