Quartet Honored by the BIG EAST
11/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 8, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - A quartet of Marquette women's soccer players were honored Thursday night by the BIG EAST at its annual awards banquet preceding the semifinal games of the BIG EAST Championship in Morgantown, W.Va. Seniors Allison Mallams and Christy Zwolski were named Second Team All-BIG EAST, and senior goalkeeper Laura Boyer and junior Katie Kelly were named to the third team.
"Congrats to all four of our All-BIG EAST selections," said head coach Markus Roeders. "These are tremendous individual awards considering the BIG EAST is among the elite leagues in the country. To be selected speaks very highly of our team's accomplishments, the play of those four throughout the year and their work and dedication. Our team is extremely 'team' driven so we tend to forget about individual awards, but we couldn't be more proud of those four players' accolades."
Mallams, although playing in just nine total games - all BIG EAST contests - for the season due to injury, was MU's second-leading scorer with five goals. All five of her strikes came in BIG EAST play. She was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll back-to-back weeks on Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 following multi-goal weekends. It is the second consecutive year Mallams has earned second team honors.
"Allison has had a difficult year with her injury, and could only play in nine games thus far. Despite those setbacks, she never gave up and made a difference throughout our conference season. For her to be recognized speaks volumes about the level she performed at and the respect she has by other teams and coaches," Roeders said.
Zwolski led Marquette in scoring with 17 points on five goals and seven assists. Her 17 points rank tied for eighth in the conference. Zwolski tallied at least one point in seven BIG EAST matches for the season. Along with Mallams, the twosome proved to be a formidable goal-scoring combination as they combined to score four of six goals through MU's final five regular season games.
"Christy has also struggled through injuries and for her to be honored is very rewarding. She has always been a threat to score, but this year she became even more of a player who would also provide assists. Those two strikers are a terrific combination for our team and among the best in the league," Roeders said.
Kelly, Marquette' secret weapon on offense, notched a team best nine assists which was also the third highest total in the conference. She was a key component of Marquette's stifling backline that earned a program record 12 shutouts and didn't allow a goal through nine of the Golden Eagles' first 10 games of the season. The junior from Kansas City, Mo., earned defensive player of the week honors on Sept. 17 as well as national acclaim by being named to the Soccer America Team of the Week. This is Kelly's second all-conference honor as she was named to the all-rookie team in 2005.
"Katie's effectiveness has shown on both ends of the field. She hasn't just become a better defender, but offensively, she is always dangerous."
Boyer, the Golden Eagles' woman between the posts that allowed just one goal through the first 10 matches of the season, totaled a career best nine shutouts and made 61 saves in 20 matches. Boyer's nine shutouts rank fourth in the league and her 0.89 goals against average stands eighth in the conference. She was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll twice this season on Sept. 10 and Sept. 24.
"Laura is perhaps the best goalkeeper that has ever worn a Marquette uniform. This year she showed again that it doesn't come down to how many saves needed to be made, but when she had to make them," said Roeders.
Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Ashley Banks, West Virginia, Sr.
Brittany Bock, Notre Dame, Sr.
Midfielder of the Year
Meghan Schnur, Connecticut, Sr.
Defensive Player of the Year
Brittany Taylor, Connecticut, Jr.,
Goalkeeper of the Year
Jillian Loyden, Villanova, Sr.
Rookie of the Year
Ingrid Wells, Georgetown, Fr.
Coach of the Year
Dave Nolan, Georgetown
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Ashley Banks, West Virginia, Sr., M/F
Greer Barnes, West Virginia, Jr., D
Brittany Bock, Notre Dame, Jr., F/M
Amanda Cicchini, West Virginia, Jr., M
Kelly Eagan, Villanova, So., D
Monique Gjini, Louisville, Sr., M
Kerri Hanks, Notre Dame, Jr., F
Jillian Loyden, Villanova, Sr., G
Meghan Schnur, Connecticut, Sr., M
Brittany Taylor, Connecticut, Jr., D
Ingrid Well, Georgetown, Fr., M
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
Carolyn Blank, West Virginia, So., M
Lindsay Brauer, USF, Jr., F
Gina DeMaio, Rutgers, So., M
Liz Eng, Connecticut, Jr., F
Joanna Haig, Louisville, Sr., GK
Sara Jordan, Georgetown, Sr., M
Erin MacDonald, Cincinnati, So., F
Allison Mallams, Marquette, Sr., F
Karyn Riviere, Connecticut, Sr., D/F
Shannon Smyth, Louisville, Jr., M
Christy Zwolski, Marquette, Sr., F
ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Karrah Benson, Syracuse, Jr., D
Laura Boyer, Marquette, Sr., GK
Deana Everrett, West Virginia, Jr., F
Kelsey Hunyadi, Louisville, Fr., F
Katie Kelly, Marquette, Jr., D
Tara Mendoza, St. John's, So., D/M
Jessica Mello, Louisville, Jr., D
Megan Mills, Seton Hall, So., D
Kacey Richards, Connecticut, Fr., M
Elise Weber, Notre Dame, Jr., D/M
Annie Yi, Connecticut, So., M
ALL-BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Kim Bonilla, West Virginia, Sr., F
Autumn Browning, USF, Sr., M
Stephanie Labbe, Connecticut, Jr., GK
Nicole Pasciolla, St. John's, So., M
Meghan Ryan, Rutgers, Sr., D
Jen Taormina, Syracuse, Sr., M
--MU--
