ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Six members of the Tusculum College women's soccer team have been named to the All-South Atlantic Conference team for the 2016 season, the league office announced Wednesday.
Senior defender Olivia Kilgore, junior defender Carlie Thornber and sophomore midfielder Katja Andersson were first-team selections, while senior midfielder Nyssa Garrison, senior goalkeeper Miriah Martin and freshman midfielder Sonja Ballmert were honorable mention picks by the league's 12 head coaches.
The group helped the Pioneers earn a share of the SAC championship with a league record of 8-2-1. Tusculum has a record of 10-5-3 overall after losing in penalty kicks to Anderson in the SAC tournament quarterfinals Tuesday night following a 0-0 draw.
Kilgore is a three-time All-SAC selection, having been named second-team in 2014 and honorable mention last season. She leads the Pioneers in scoring from her central defender position, with a goal and eight assists for 10 points. Seven of her eight assists have come off set pieces, while her goal came directly off a corner kick in a 3-0 win over Concord on Sept. 2.
The Cincinnati, Ohio native is a four-year starter on defense for the Pioneers, and has recorded five goals and 11 assists for 21 points in 73 career matches. Kilgore has scored at least one goal in all four seasons at Tusculum, including two via penalty kick in 2014.
Thornber has started 15 matches this season for the Pioneers and has scored three goals, all game-winners. Her biggest goal of the season came on Sept. 7 against King when she notched the tiebreaking tally with 3.9 seconds left in a 2-1 Tusculum victory. The Oshawa, Ontario native also scored the first goals in a 2-0 win at Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 21 and a 2-0 victory over Catawba on Oct. 23 that assured the Pioneers at least a share of the SAC title.
Thornber, an Academic All-American last season and a two-time Academic All-District pick, is a three-year starter for the Pioneers who has eight goals in 53 matches.
Andersson, who was selected second-team All-SAC as a freshman, has started all 18 matches at central midfield for the Pioneers and has recorded two goals and two assists for six points. She scored in the 78th minute to spark a Tusculum rally from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 2-2 tie against SAC co-champion Lenoir-Rhyne on Sept. 17, and tallied the only goal of the match in the second half of a 1-0 victory at Anderson on Sept. 24.
The Enstaberga, Sweden product has appeared in all 37 games for the Pioneers in her two seasons, scoring eight goals and adding four assists for 20 points.
Martin has been strong in goal all season for the Pioneers, playing every single second and compiling a 0.85 goals against average and nine shutouts. Her goals against average is currently the seventh-best in a single season in program history, while her nine shutouts are the third-most in a season by a Pioneer keeper. Martin had a streak of six straight shutouts from Sept. 21 to Oct. 14, the most consecutive clean sheets by a single goalie in school history.
For her career, the Roanoke, Va. native has a 1.22 goals against average in 43 matches (41 starts) with 22 victories and 17 shutouts. Her 17 clean sheets are tied for the third-most in a Tusculum career, while her 1.18 goals against average is tied for the seventh best in school history. In addition, her 184 career saves place her seventh on the Tusculum all-time list and her 3,807 minutes in goal rank her third on the Pioneer career list.
Garrison has stepped into a starting role at outside midfield and generated two goals and two assists for six points in 17 starts. She scored her first career goal in a 3-0 victory over Concord in the season opener on Sept. 2, and tallied an insurance goal in a 1-0 win at Coker on Oct. 12. The goal in the Coker match was part of a stretch in which Garrison had a goal and two assists over a three-game span, accounting for three of the Pioneers' four goals in three consecutive wins.
Garrison has been a regular during her four years at Tusculum, as the Cincinnati, Ohio product has played in 60 career matches and made 25 starts during that span.
Ballmert has stepped into the starting lineup in the midfield as a freshman and started all 18 matches, registering two goals and three assists for seven points. She scored the winning goal in the second half of a 2-1 win over Queens on Sept. 14, and assisted on both Pioneer goals in a 2-0 victory over Catawba on Oct. 23. The Frankfurt, Germany native also scored early in a 2-1 loss to Belmont Abbey on Oct. 25.
Lauren Wade of Carson-Newman was named SAC Player of the Year, with the Freshman of the Year award going to Abigael McGarel of Lenoir-Rhyne. Head coach Gary Higgins of Lenoir-Rhyne was named Coach of the Year after leading the Bears to a share of the SAC title with Tusculum and Carson-Newman.
2016 South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer Team
First Team
F – Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman
F – Julianne Herrity, Carson-Newman
F – Kendall Smith, Lenoir-Rhyne
F – Alyssa Ortega, Newberry (Tie)
F – Tina Shakes, Anderson (Tie)
MF – Kaitlyn Brunworth, Wingate
MF – Varin Ness, Carson-Newman
MF – Kathy Fisher, Queens
MF – Katja Andersson, Tusculum
D – Olivia Kilgore, Tusculum
D – Macy Franklin, Wingate
D – Mariah Lewis, Queens
D – Carlie Thornber, Tusculum
GK – Andrea Leano, Lenoir-Rhyne
Second Team
F – Thea Mallett, Queens
F – Holly Talbut-Smith, Carson-Newman
F – Becky Frost, Catawba
MF – Abigael McGarel, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Chelsea Jordan, Carson-Newman
MF – Charlotte Ring, Queens
MF – Breona Tate, Mars Hill
D – Helen Seed, Carson-Newman
D – Ashley Osiecki, Queens
D – Helen Ramsey, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Kim Migliarese, Lenoir-Rhyne
GK – Jacqueline Burns, Carson-Newman
Honorable Mention
F – Erika Linch, Newberry
F – Caroline Souza, Lincoln Memorial
F – Shelby Vasich, Catawba
F – Aleonya Hunter, Mars Hill
MF – Keida Ragney, Carson-Newman
MF – Nyssa Garrison, Tusculum
MF – Alaina Gay, Anderson
MF – Sonja Ballmert, Tusculum
D – Averi Williams, Carson-Newman
D – Elissa Lane, Carson-Newman
D – Peyton Pruitt, Catawba
D – Sophie Riggs, Anderson
GK – Abby Helm, Anderson (Tie)
GK – Miriah Martin, Tusculum (Tie)
SAC Player of the Year: Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman
SAC Freshman of the Year: Abigael McGarel, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Coach of the Year: Gary Higgins, Lenoir-Rhyne
SAC Fair Play Award: Coker
Statistical leaders
Goals per Match: Julianne Herrity, Carson-Newman (0.94)
Points per Match: Julianne Herrity, Carson-Newman (2.24)
Assists per Match: Holly Talbut-Smith, Carson-Newman (0.53)
Goals Against Average: Jacqueline Burns, Carson-Newman (0.519)
Save Percentage: Alexis Jones, Wingate (.868)
Shutouts: Jacqueline Burns, Carson-Newman (11)
Team Points per Match: Carson-Newman (10.71)
Team Goals per Match: Carson-Newman (3.76)
Team Assists per Match: Carson-Newman (3.18)
Team Shutouts: Carson-Newman (11)
Team Goals Against Average: Carson-Newman (0.52)
Team Winning Percentage: Carson-Newman (.794)
