Soccer Places Three On All-Conference Squads
November 04, 2009 | Soccer
Nov. 4, 2009
IRVING, Texas - After finishing its season with a 1-0 victory over Marshall Friday, the East Carolina soccer team had three players named to the All-Conference USA Teams according to an announcement by the league Tuesday afternoon. Junior Bailey Wilcox was selected to the second team while classmate Amanda Broz was a third team honoree. Rachel Wechsler rounded out the Pirate award winners, as she was named to the C-USA All-Freshman squad.
The three East Carolina selections mark the fifth consecutive season the Pirates have had at least three players on the All-C-USA Teams.
The all-league selection was the first of Wilcox's career, as she completed her best season to date. She was one of only four Pirates to start all 19 games as she tallied a career-high and team-leading seven goals. The seven scored tied her for the seventh most in C-USA. The Spotsylvania, Va., native also added an assist against Gardner-Webb, the first of her career, to give her 15 total points. She scored one game-winning goal this year, against Old Dominion in ECU's 1-0 victory. For the season, Wilcox recorded 31 shots with 21 on goal, good for a .677 shots-on-goal percentage.
Broz was a key member of the Pirate defense that held league opponents to a 1.16 goals-against average. Nonconference foes did not fare much better, averaging 1.27 goals per contest. Broz played in 18 games while starting the last nine contests of the year. In league action, she helped hold opponents to 14.8 shots per game with 7.3 attempts on goal. Offensively, she scored her only goal of the season against UNC Wilmington for the game-winner in double overtime. The C-USA accolade is the second of the Spring, Texas native's career, as she was an all-freshman team selection in 2007.
Wechsler played in all but one game this season, making 15 starts. In her collegiate debut against VCU, she tallied a goal and had the assist on the game-winning score. She picked up a total of five assists during the season, tied for the most on the team and eighth in the league. Two of those assists came against Stony Brook, tied for the most any C-USA player registered in a game this year.
With the Wechsler selection, East Carolina has had at least one player named to the all-freshman team each year since 2005 and in every season but two since joining the league in 2001.
The Pirates have the opportunity to increase their Conference USA honors when the league's all-academic team is announced later this week.
All-Conference USA Teams
First Team
F: Ashley Berra, Memphis
F: Tiffany Brown, Colorado College
F: Tameka Sumter, UTEP
F: Courtney Whidden, UCF
MF: Vendula Strnadova, Memphis
MF: Becca Thomas, UCF
MF: Chelsea Winbush, UTEP
D: Kelsey Bakker, Memphis
D: Nikki Moore, UCF
D: Lauren Talbot, Colorado College
GK: Aline Reis, UCF
Second Team
F: Erika Duncan, Marshall
F: Erin Scott, Rice
F: Tiffini Turpin, UAB
MF: Ericka Bear, Colorado College
MF: Molly Snead, Marshall
MF: Bailey Wilcox, East Carolina
D: Kayla Chambers, Tulsa
D: Kaitlyn Eidson, SMU
D: Jessica Rathweg, Houston
D: Marie Yempuku, UAB
GK: Elise Kuhar-Pitters, Memphis
Third Team
F: Emily Beans, Colorado College
F: Lauri Byrne, Houston
F: Yvonne George, UCF
MF: Jennifer Kacergis, Tulsa
MF: Kristin Medeiros, SMU
MF: Jo Radcliffe, UTEP
MF: Shelley Wong, Rice
D: Amanda Broz, East Carolina
D: Bianca Joswiak, UCF
D: Katelyn Ostendorf, Rice
GK: Caitlin Hulyo, Colorado College
All-Freshman Team
Brittney Lyman, F, Colorado College
Rachel Wechsler, MF, East Carolina
Sarah Vinson, MF, Marshall
Avery Hallman, F, Memphis
Taylor Isenhower, F, Memphis
Julia Barrow, MF, Rice
Mallory Baum, MF, SMU
Katie Bykowski, GK, Tulsa
Rachel Garcia, D, Tulsa
Bianca Joswiak, D, UCF
Nicolette Radovcic, F, UCF
Alex Brandt, MF/F, UCF
Skye Schultz, F, UTEP
Conference USA Award Winners
Offensive Player of the Year: Ashley Berra, Memphis
Defensive Player of the Year: Kelsey Bakker, Memphis
Midfielder of the Year: Becca Thomas, UCF
Freshman of the Year: Skye Schultz, UTEP
Coach of the Year: Amanda Cromwell, UCF
