ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Four members of the Tusculum women's soccer team were included on the All-South Atlantic Conference team, as voted on by the league's 11 head coaches and released Wednesday.
Senior defender Carlie Thornber was named second-team All-SAC while senior forward Payton DeHart, senior forward Jordan Newby and sophomore midfielder Sonja Ballmert were recognized as honorable mention selections.
Together, they helped the Pioneers to a regular-season record of 10-6-0 and fourth place in the SAC standings with a 7-3-0 league record. Three of the Pioneers' six losses were to nationally-ranked teams, and the team had a 5-3-0 record in both home and away matches.
Thornber was named All-SAC for the second time in her career after receiving first-team honors following the 2016 season. Thornber scored one goal and had two assists for four points in 16 regular-season matches for the Pioneers, while ranking second on the team with 1296 minutes played. Thornber had a goal and an assist in the Pioneers' 6-0 win over Coker on Oct. 8, and assisted on the only goal in a 2-1 setback to 19th-ranked Limestone on Oct. 2. In 69 career matches, all starts, the native of Oshawa, Ontario has scored nine goals and two assists for 20 points.
DeHart is one of five players tied for third on the team in goals with three, and has added two assists for eight points which is fourth-best on the Pioneers. The native of Nixa, Missouri has started all 16 matches and has scored a pair of game-winning goals, including both goals in a 2-1 win over Tennessee Wesleyan on Sept. 6 which won her SAC Player of the Week honors, and the first goal in a 2-0 victory against Lees-McRae on Oct. 4. DeHart has appeared in 72 career matches (43 starts) and has scored 11 goals and eight assists for 30 points, with five of her goals standing as game-winners.
Newby overcame injuries that cost her nearly all of the last two seasons to lead the team in goals (five) and rank second with 10 points. The Clinton, Tennessee native scored four of her five goals in conference matches, including an overtime goal in a 2-1 win at Catawba on Oct. 21. Newby also scored in wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, Anderson, Lees-McRae and Coker, and added her sixth goal of the season in the Pioneers' SAC quarterfinal match with Lenoir-Rhyne. Newby has scored seven goals and three assists for 17 points in 36 career matches, including seven starts.
Ballmert was named honorable mention All-SAC for the second straight year after she led the Pioneers in scoring with 12 points on four goals and four assists. All four of her goals came in conference matches, including back-to-back match-winning goals in a 1-0 win over Lincoln Memorial on Sept. 13 and a 2-1 victory at Lenoir-Rhyne on Sept. 16 which earned her SAC Player of the Week honors. Ballmert also scored in consecutive wins over Coker and Mars Hill, and had two assists in a 2-1 overtime victory at Catawba on Oct. 21. The Frankfurt, Germany native has six goals and seven assists for 19 points in 34 career matches.
Lauren Wade of Carson-Newman was recognized as SAC Player of the Year, with Freshman of the Year honors going to Jovana Sanchez of Catawba. Simon Duffy of Carson-Newman was named Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to the SAC Championship in his first year as head coach.
Tusculum will play top-seeded Carson-Newman in the semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, South Carolina. The Eagles, who are unbeaten and ranked second in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II poll, defeated the Pioneers 3-0 behind a Wade hat trick on Oct. 18 at Pioneer Field.
2017 South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference
First Team
F - Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman
F – Alyssa Ortega, Newberry
F – Holly Talbut-Smith, Carson-Newman
F – Charlotte Ring, Queens
MF - Alana Jefferson, Queens
MF – Abbie Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF – Courtney Velazquez, Newberry
MF – Abigael McGarel, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Mariah Lewis, Queens
D – Helen Seed, Carson-Newman
D – Averi Williams, Carson-Newman
D – Christina Shimshock, Lenoir-Rhyne
GK – Jacqueline Burns, Carson-Newman
Second Team
F – Magda Mosengo, Carson-Newman
F – Lauren Allan, Anderson
F – Emma rose Stockton, Queens
F – Elizabeth Phan, Queens
MF – Kimmi Moore, Wingate
MF – Jovana Sanchez, Catawba
MF – Erin Feldman, Catawba
MF – Taylor Leyble, Wingate
D – Kaitlyn Fletcher, Wingate
D – Helen Ramsey, Lenoir-Rhyne
D – Alex Brandan, Carson-Newman
D – Carlie Thornber, Tusculum
GK – Samantha Hoffman, Coker
Honorable Mention
F – Payton DeHart, Tusculum
F – Becky Frost, Catawba
F – Jordan Newby, Tusculum
MF – Thea Mallett, Queens
MF – Sonja Ballmert, Tusculum
MF – Daphne Heyaime, Newberry
MF – Melanie Maddox, Anderson
D – Emilie Toftbjerg, Anderson
D – Kristin Debiase, Wingate
D – Caileigh Apicella, Wingate
GK – Alexis Jones, Wingate
Player of the Year: Lauren Wade, Carson-Newman
Freshman of the Year: Jovana Sanchez, Catawba
Coach of the Year: Simon Duffy, Carson-Newman
