DENVER The 2003 womens soccer all-WAC teams were announced today, as selected by the conferences coaches. WAC regular season co-champion, SMU, placed five on the conferences first team, while fellow champion Hawaii placed two. The 2003 Player of the Year went to Hawaii sophomore forward, Natasha Kai. Freshman of the Year was awarded to Olivia ORear of SMU, while Coach of the Year went to Boise States Steve Lucas, who went 4-4 in conference play after a 1-7 league record a year ago.
Kai, a native of Kahuku, Oahu, picked up her third Player of the Year honor in as many tries, earning the WACs 2002 Player of the Year, 2003 Preseason Player of the Year and 2003 Player of the Year. The sophomore set a new conference mark with 14 goals in WAC play, beating her record of 10 set last season. She posted four hat tricks on the year, including four and five goal efforts. She leads the nation in goals (29) and points (62). She helped the Wahine to their best record in school history and the WAC Championships No. 2 seed.
ORear, a native of Farmers Branch, Texas, has been a strong force for the Mustang defense all season. She is one of just two freshmen to start every match for SMU. ORear anchored a defense that allowed just eight goals in conference play, helping the Mustangs to their fifth-straight, regular-season conference title.
Lucas, a 1996 graduate of New Hampshire College, led the Broncos to a 4-4 mark in the WAC, besting the teams 1-7 record in 2002. Lucas squad was the lone team to defeat SMU, who was unbeaten in its last 10 matches heading into that match. The Broncos made a late season push, winning their last three to move from sixth to fourth in the tournament seeding.
SMU led all teams placing, placing five student-athletes on the all-WAC first team. Senior forward Kim Harvey led the way for the Mustangs, scoring 13 goals in conference play, while assisting on five for a conference-record 31 points. Harvey was a first-team selection in 2001, and a second-team in 2002. Fellow Mustangs, Freshman of the Year Olivia ORear and now three time, first team all-WAC member, Jill Heinemann both earned spots as midfielders. Defensively Amanda Jordan picked up her second straight first-team honor, while Amanda Clark, the WAC record holder for season conference matches won with seven, was the all-WAC teams goalkeeper.
Along with her Player of the Year honor, Hawaiis Natasha Kai was named to the first team as a forward. Her 14 goals were the most ever in a WAC season. Fellow Wahine Robyn de Hay also earned a place on the first team. Katri Nokso-Koivisto is the lone Bulldog on the first team, as she tallied 11 points on four goals and three assists. There are three Rice players on the team, forward Ashley Anderson, midfielder Sarah Yoder and defenseman Caitlin Currie. Abbe Bernards was the Broncos first player to be named to the first-team since Brooke Sims in 2001. Bernards led a defense that kept SMU to just one goal, almost two under its season average.
The WAC Championship tournament begins Thursday, November 6, with four teams playing in the quarterfinal round at Westcott Field in Dallas. Third-seeded Rice takes on sixth-seeded Fresno State at 5:00 p.m. (CT), while fourth-seeded Boise State and fifth-seeded UTEP face off at 7:30 p.m. The winners advance to the semifinals to play second-seeded Hawaii and top-seeded SMU, respectively.
The complete list of the all-WAC teams follows:
First TeamF - %Katri Nokso-Koivisto, So., Fresno State
F - &Natasha Kai, So., Hawaii
F - Robyn de Hay, Jr., Hawaii
F - Ashley Anderson, Jr., Rice
F - *%Kim Harvey, Sr., SMU
MF - Sarah Yoder, Jr., Rice
MF - Olivia ORear, Fr., SMU
MF - *&Jill Heinemann, Jr., SMU
D - Abbe Bernards, Sr., Boise State
D - ^Caitlin Currie, Jr., Rice
D - ^&Amanda Jordan, Jr., SMU
GK - Amanda Clark, Jr., SMU
Second Team F - Brittany Zoellner, Sr., Boise State
F - Kortney Lewis, So., Fresno State
F - Christine McCartney, Fr., UTEP
MF - Abbe Roche, Sr., Boise State
MF - Joelle Sugai, Jr., Hawaii
MF - Vanessa Serrano, Fr., Rice
MF - %Kaletia Roberts, So., UTEP
D - ^Leisha Makinano, Sr., Nevada
D - Betsy Huete, Jr., Rice
D - Erin Droeger, Jr., Rice
GK - Lauren Shockley, So., Rice
Player of the Year: Natasha Kai, So., F, Hawaii
Freshman of the Year: Olivia ORear, MF, SMU
Coach of the Year: Steve Lucas, Boise State
*2001 First-team all-WAC
^2001 Second-team all-WAC
&2002 First-team all-WAC
%2002 Second-team all-WAC