DENVER – The Western Athletic Conference women’s soccer postseason award winners as selected by the league’s eight head coaches have been announced. WAC regular season co-champion Seattle U lead all teams with six players selected to the all-WAC team, including three on the first team and three on the second team.
Seattle U senior Stephanie Verdoia repeated as the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Utah Valley senior defender Lexi Robison was named Defensive Player of the Year. Grand Canyon took the final two individual awards as goalkeeper Blakely Fraasch was named WAC Freshman of the Year and Stevie Gill was selected by his peers at Coach of the Year.
Verdoia, from Salt Lake City, Utah (Brighton HS), led the WAC in every offensive category during the regular season. Her 18 regular season goals are second nationally, as are her 47 points. She also tallied 11 assists in the regular season to go with six game-winning goals.
Robison, from Orem, Utah (Mountain View HS), paced one of the top defenses in the WAC. Under her leadership, the Wolverines recorded a conference-best nine shutouts on the season and were second-best in goals against average at 0.83.
Fraasch, from Prior Lake, Minn. (Prior Lake HS), was among the top net minders in the conference this season. She posted a 0.87 goals-against average in 825:47 played, allowing just eight goals on 47 shots for a .855 save percentage. She earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice this season.
Gill, in his seventh year at Grand Canyon, led the Antelopes to a third-place finish in the WAC this season. The captain of the 1996 GCU men’s soccer team that won the NCAA Division II National Championship, he holds a record of 57-63-12 at Grand Canyon, including 11-10-1 in two seasons in the WAC.
First Team All-WAC
Hedda Regefalk, So., F, Bakersfield
Maria Monterroso, So., F, Grand Canyon
Taylor Ritzman, Sr., F, Seattle U
Kali Stubbs, Jr., F, Utah Valley
Emily Herndon, So., MF, Missouri-Kansas City
Stephanie Verdoia, Sr., MF, Seattle U
Kimberly Stratford, Sr., MF, Utah Valley
Sarah Todd, Sr., D, Missouri-Kansas City
Kiana Kraft, Jr., D, Seattle U
Lexi Robison, Sr., D, Utah Valley
Nina Tzianos, Jr., GK, Missouri-Kansas City
Second Team All-WAC
Jennae Cambra, Sr., F, New Mexico State
Layla Todd, Sr., F, New Mexico State
Natasha Howe, So., F, Seattle U
Maja Green, Fr., MF, Bakersfield
Taylor Layton, So., MF, Grand Canyon
Kasandra Anderson, Jr., MF, Utah Valley
Jessica Valadez, So., D, Grand Canyon
Kaely Tott, Sr., D, Missouri-Kansas City
Kelly Beck, Jr., D, Seattle U
Stephanie Spiekerman, Fr., D, Seattle U
Blakely Fraasch, Fr., GK, Grand Canyon
Offensive Player of the Year: Stephanie Verdoia, Sr., MF, Seattle U
Defensive Player of the Year: Lexi Robison, Sr., D, Utah Valley
Freshman of the Year: Blakely Fraasch, Fr., GK, Grand Canyon
Coach of the Year: Stevie Gill, Grand Canyon