SAC Places 13 On NSCAA Women’s Soccer All-Region Teams

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- The South Atlantic Conference placed 13 women's soccer players on the on the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America All-Southeast Region teams.

Catawba College, Lenoir-Rhyne University and Carson-Newman College each placed three on the squads, which were selected by head coaches throughout the Southeast Region. Lincoln Memorial University had two selections, while Tusculum College and Mars Hill College each had one selection.

Catawba

Three Catawba College seniors have been named to the 2008 National Soccer Coaches' Association of America All-Southeast Region Women's Soccer Teams. Defender Alyssa Schoenberg (Woodbury, MN/Woodbury HS) and midfielder Lainey Nichols (Frederick, MD/Middletown HS) were first team picks, while defender Nikki Blackwelder (Asheville, NC/Asheville HS) was a second team selection.

The trio helped Catawba equal a school record with 16 wins in 2008 and a berth in the NCAA II regional playoffs. The Lady Indians won an opening round match before falling in the regional semifinal. Catawba also made its third straight trip to the South Atlantic Conference Tournament final, falling in penalty kicks each year.

Schoenberg is a two-time All-SAC and all-region performer. She scored two goals on the year, including an overtime game-winner in the regional win over Georgia College & State University. Catawba posted 10 shutouts over 23 matches. In her career, Schoenberg helped the squad to 40 shutouts over 85 matches and scored eight goals.

Nichols also earned All-SAC and all-region honors the past two seasons. She started 22 of 23 matches, scoring four goals with an assist. Nichols had 10 goals and six assists in her three seasons with the Lady Indians.

Blackwelder earns all-region honors for the first time and was a two-time second team All-SAC selection. She assisted on three goals this season and scored one goal, a game-winner against Milligan. Blackwelder had six goals and five assists over her career. The Catawba defense allowed just under nine shots per game this past season and posted a 0.85 goals against average.

Lenoir-Rhyne

Three players on the Lenoir-Rhyne Women's Soccer Team were named to the 2008 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Teams. Freshman midfielder Laura Linehan (San Diego, Calif.) was named to the second team while freshman defender Catherine Hauck (Lake Mary, Fla.) and junior midfielder Audrey Moore (Bath, ENGLAND) earned third-team honors.

Linehan led the team in scoring this year with 16 goals, five assists and 37 points en route to First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference honors. Linehan, who finished second in the league in scoring, was named to the Daktronics All-Region First Team last month.

Hauck, a First-Team All-SAC pick as well, started all 21 games and finished with three goals and seven points including two goals in the L-R's 2-1 quarterfinal victory over Tusculum in the 2008 Food Lion SAC Tournament. Hauck was also a league all-tournament selection and was named to the Daktronics All-Region Second Team in November.

Moore, in her first season with L-R, tallied three goals, one assist and seven points this year and was named to the 2008 All-SAC Second Team.

Lenoir-Rhyne finished the 2008 season with a 13-6-2 record overall and a 4-3-1 mark in the South Atlantic Conference. The Bears' 13 wins were the second most in school single-season history.

Carson-Newman

Three Carson-Newman Lady Eagles have been named to the 2008 NSCAA/Adidas Division II All-Southeast Region Team.

Senior midfielder Brittany Moore (Lenoir City, Tenn.) took first team honors, while sophomore defender Melissa Morris (Sweetwater, Tenn.) and freshman goalkeeper Lauren MacKenzie (Barrie, Ont.) were named to the Southeast Region third team.

Moore tallied nine goals and an assist to lead the Lady Eagles to a 16-5-1 season finish and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In her final year at Carson-Newman, she had six game-winning goals. She has also led the Lady Eagles to four NCAA Tournament berths and a Final Four appearance during her career.

Morris, a defender, added two goals and 19 shots to the Carson-Newman effort, and was named to the All-Region third team at her first year with the Lady Eagles. MacKenzie finished with 76 saves on the season, leading C-N to a seven shutouts.

The Lady Eagles finished the season with a 16-5-1 record, winning the South Atlantic Conference regular season title and SAC Tournament. Carson-Newman finished the season ranked-13th nationally.

LMU

Although the Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team didn't make the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Soccer Tournament this year, the Lady Railsplitters did place three of it's team members on the 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Southeast Region squad.

Named to the NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team were Lady Railsplitter senior defender Lea Cataggio (Aberdeen, MD) and Lady Railsplitter senior midfielder/foward Karina Campos (Sao Paulo, Brazil). Cataggio was the anchor of the Lady Railsplitter defensive end of the field over the past two seasons and helped the LMU women capture an 11-6-1 overall record this year while recording four shutouts. Campos was the spearhead of the Lady Railsplitter offensive a! ! ttack and led the team in scoring with nine goals and two assists for 20 total points this season.

Also earning 2008 NSCAA All-Southeast Region Third Team honors was Lincoln Memorial University sophomore forward Becky Thompson (Frederick, MD). After a stellar freshman season in 2007, Thompson returned in 2008 to finish as the Lady Railsplitter's second leading scorer with seven goals and five assists for 19 total points. During both seasons her efforts were instrumental in Lincoln Memorial University's Lady Railsplitter's success and she will return in 2009 as one of the team leaders in the LMU women's next shot at a conference and regional title.

Tusculum

Tusculum's Danielle Tanner is honored on the National Soccer Coaches' Association of America All-Southeast Region Second Team, marking the second time the senior forward has earned NSCAA/adidas All-Region recognition.

Tanner led the Pioneers in nearly every statistical category this season, and was the first player in program history to garner South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honors with her conference-leading 22 goals and 51 points. A native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Tanner was also named the Daktronics All-Southeast Region Women's Soccer Player of the Year earlier this season.

The 5-7 forward also cemented her place in the Tusculum record books as the only player in the program's history to score 20 or more goals in two separate seasons with the Pioneers. Tanner found the back of the net 43 times in her two years in the black and orange, and recorded 98 points to place third all-time at TC in each category.

During her two seasons with the Pioneers, Tanner was twice named to the All-SAC First Team, and was a member of the 2007 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region First Team. The 2008 Preseason All-SAC First Team selection ends her career with the black and orange second all-time at the Greeneville, Tenn. school with 12 match-winners, as the Pioneers posted a combined 25-16-1 record in her two campaigns.

2008 NSCAA/adidas NCAA Division II Women's Soccer All-Southeast Region

First Team
GK Whitney Beverly Sr. North Carolina-Pembroke
D Katie Franca Sr. Pfeiffer
D Sarah Hawkins Sr. Columbus State
D Alyssa Schoenberg Sr. Catawba
MF Faye Corbett So. North Carolina-Pembroke
MF Brittany Moore Sr. Carson-Newman
MF Alaine Nichols Sr. Catawba
F Kirsten Bartsch Jr. Pfeiffer
F Melanie Cobb Sr. North Carolina-Pembroke
F Gina Goforth Jr. Columbus State
F Steph Parrish So. Columbus State

Second Team
GK Monica Sanchez Sr. Columbus State
D Nikki Blackwelder Sr. Catawba
D Lea Cataggio Sr. Lincoln Memorial
D Amanda Lear Sr. Limestone
D Lauren Townsend Sr. North Carolina-Pembroke
MF Megan Blevins Jr. Pfeiffer
MF Karina Campos Sr. Lincoln Memorial
MF Kellie Myles Sr. Columbus State
F Kristin Summers Burton Jr., Armstrong Atlantic State
F Laura Linehan Fr. Lenoir-Rhyne
F Danielle Tanner Sr. Tusculum

Third Team
GK Lauren MacKenzie Fr. Carson-Newman
D Morgan Cobb Jr. Georgia College & State
D Mary-Ashley Davino Sr. Queens (N.C.)
D Catherine Hauck Fr. Lenoir-Rhyne
D Melissa Morris So. Carson-Newman
MF Audrey Moore Jr. Lenoir-Rhyne
MF Lindsey Morgan Sr. Columbus State
MF Samantha Striano So. Queens (N.C.)
F Hayley Ferrell Sr. Georgia College & State
F Abby Nicole Martin So. Mars Hill
F Becky Thompson So. Lincoln Memorial