Mosengo, Williams highlight SAC postseason awards as Eagles place seven on all-league

Mosengo, Williams highlight SAC postseason awards as Eagles place seven on all-league
Posted: Nov 01, 2018

SAC Release

Video: Magda Mosengo Interview

Video: Averi Williams Interview        

Video: Jackie Burns Interview

ROCK HILL, S.C. – For the third straight season, Carson-Newman Women's Soccer has had seven players crack the end of season South Atlantic All-Conference teams. The league announced the first, second, and honorable mention squads on Thursday morning including the end of season individual awards.

With the first installment of Player of the Year in both the offensive and defensive categories, C-N swept one of the more prestigious awards in the conference. Senior forward Magda Mosengo (London, England) was named the conference Offensive Player of the Year with teammate Averi Williams (Powell, Tenn.) picking up Defensive Player of the Year.

The C-N program has now secured a Player of the Year honor for the fourth consecutive season after Julianne Herrity earned the award in 2015 and Lauren Wade doing it in back-to-back seasons in 2016-17.

Mosengo has climbed up the leaderboard in terms of all-time statistics in the history of C-N Women's Soccer. Through 15 games played in 2018, the senior has collected 17 goals, a mark in which she has already tied from a full 23-game schedule a year ago. Her career total of 37 goals is good for a two-way tie for fifth all-time in the program and her 93 points are fourth all-time. Of the 37 tallies, 12 of them are game-winners as she has five so far this year.

"I think last year was great for me," Mosengo said. "I was able to achieve some things and play after learning some things from Julianne the year prior. I really took that and put it into action last year. The progression for me with this accomplishment is great, but I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing and not let the accomplishment slow me down."

In conference play, Mosengo holds the top spot in both goals (17) and points (40.) The London, England native also grabbed First-team All-SAC honors for the first time in her career, making the leap from second-team following the 2017 year. Mosengo is tied for 10th in the nation in goals on the year and 11th in total points. Since failing to record a point in C-N's first two games of the year, Mosengo has recorded at least one in every game she has played since, a streak of 13 games.

Williams has one of the more prestigious careers as a defender in the history of the program. The senior nearly has 7000 minutes played in her career as an Eagle as she currently sits fifth all-time. Williams has helped C-N gather seven clean sheets on the year in its fourth-consecutive regular season league championship run. As a defender, the Powell, Tenn. native has also grabbed two goals and one assist. She was also tabbed first-team All-SAC for the second straight season following another stellar campaign.

"Averi is a bully in the back," Mosengo said. "I feel like her recognition is a long time coming. She deserves it and she works hard. We both have had the chance to play around great players and she's learned a bit from Helen Seed and it has helped out many girls on the team."

Williams anchors a defense who has allowed single-digit shots in 10 of the team's 15 games this season, allowing no more than 15 shots in a game which dates back to the Eagles second game of the year.

"The accomplishment feels great because I've worked my butt off over these last four years," Williams said. "It's nice to get the recognition from the other coaches around the league. I was shocked when I heard I won the Defensive Player of the Year. I came in as a center mid and then got pushed to center back. I just tried to get better and better each year, being smarter, and playing smarter passes and just becoming an overall better player. I think it's great to see all that paid off."

Alongside Williams on the back line collecting first-team honors is senior defender Alex Brandan who also made the leap from second-team following the 2017 campaign. Brandan (Knoxville, Tenn.) will also go down as one of the top defenders to ever put on a C-N jersey as she eclipsed over 6000 minutes played as an Eagle this season. She's added three assists and a game-winning goal on the year in a win over Wingate which helped the team seal its fourth-straight SAC regular-season title. Her and Williams will look to complete the four-for-four resume this weekend in the league tournament as the Eagles search for their fourth-consecutive tournament championship.

Three of C-N's four members in the back were honored as freshman center back Jente Kuper earned second-team honors. A native of Ottersberg, Germany, Kuper is one of the league's leaders in minutes played as a freshman and is third on the team in the category. The freshman of the year finalist marks the first time in four years that C-N had a first-year player crack All-SAC honors when Helen Seed accomplished the feat in 2014. Alongside the stellar year defensively as a group, Kuper has added a goal and an assist, starting in 13 of the team's 16 matches.

"As a unit, we continue to just get better and better every game," Williams said. "Our communication and being able to trust each other, it has all just improved so much since the beginning of the year. It's an exciting time with the tournament and I'm excited to see how much better we can continue to get."

The last line of defense earned her second-straight First-team All-SAC appearance. Goalkeeper Jackie Burns (Cookstown, Northern Ireland), the all-time winningest keeper in the history of the program, has followed up another stellar year following an incredible sophomore season. Burns holds a career record of 48-6-2 as an Eagle which includes 29.4 clean sheets. She remains three shutouts away from tying the SAC's all-time record held by Kim Clayton (1999-02) of Catawba.

"It's a very good achievement but to be honest I didn't think I had the best of years," Burns said. "To still be able to be recognized around the league for what I have done throughout the season is great and I hope that this isn't the end of it. I hope I go on and improve myself better for the postseason."

Burns also is the league leader in goals-against average in a career which sits at .58. On the year, Burns is 10-0, allowing just eight goals on the season which marks the lowest out of all goalkeepers. She's recorded four clean sheets and holds the lowest goals against average at .76.

"Just by the defense in front of me getting those awards," Burns said. "It just shows we have that strength back there. Averi is indestructible when she's in that element. I'm glad she's got the award and she's proved herself to be that solid player. To have Alex and Jente get those awards as well, they're key players on our team and they've proven to be great defensive players. Huff may have not have been recognized but I'm happy to have her on the back line as well. I think for her in the next few years, she has the opportunity to get better and get that recognition."

Emilee Futrell (Wilson, N.C.) grabbed her first postseason award as she was selected to the conference's second-team. The sophomore forward has nine goals on the year which is good for fifth in the league. She has already tied her total from last year that came through the Eagles 23 games in its run to the National Championship match. She also has five assists, two more than her 2017 total. Futrell has started and played in every single game this season.

Catarina Realista collected her first all-conference honor both preseason or post-season after joining Kuper and Futrell on the second-team as a midfielder. Realista has started in 12 of the 13 games in which she has played recording one goal and three assists. The Lisbon, Portugal native has been an integral part of C-N's midfield position in the team's dominant offensive numbers. C-N leads the league in goals (47), shots (372), assists (38), and shots on goal (166).

Simon Duffy's squad was the statistic champion in four different team categories which include points per match (8.06), goals per match (2.87), assists per match (2.33), and winning percentage (.800).

"I'm delighted for Magda and Averi it is massive," Duffy said. "We can get caught up in postseason awards and we play a team sport, so I'm just thrilled at how we have represented. So happy for them, I think they deserve it but for us to sweep both is just incredible. I'm honored by the league for us to be honored in that way.

"Jente has gotten better and better every single game this season. Her and Averi have been a formidable partnership. As good of a year Emilee had in 2017, she already matched her goal tally after the Wingate match and she hadn't scored in a few games prior. Happy for both of them plus Catarina Realista in the middle of the park.  She's been a driving force for us and gets us ticking. She's a smart and intelligent player and I'm delighted for all of them."

C-N will now turn its head to the SAC semifinal matchup with Catawba scheduled for 11:00 a.m. on Nov. 2.

 

2018 South Atlantic Conference Women's Soccer All-Conference

First Team

F – Magda Mosengo, Carson-Newman

F – Abbie Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne

F – Jessica Cravero, Lincoln Memorial

F – Itzel Ballesteros, Lincoln Memorial

MF – Charlotte Ring, Queens

MF – Jovana Sanchez, Catawba

MF – Aqsa Mushtaq, Lenoir-Rhyne

MF – Mariana Diaz, Lincoln Memorial

D – Averi Williams, Carson-Newman

D – Alex Brandan, Carson-Newman

D – Claire Neibergall, Lenoir-Rhyne

D – Alyssa Berry, Lincoln Memorial

GK – Jackie Burns, Carson-Newman

 

Second Team

F – Lulu Phan, Queens

F - Sanne Martinsen, Mars Hill

F – Daphne Heyaime, Newberry

F – Emilee Futrell, Carson-Newman

MF – Catarina Realista, Carson-Newman

MF – Maria Hernandez, Lincoln Memorial

MF – Sonja Ballmert, Tusculum

MF – Taylor Rios, Lenoir-Rhyne

D – Christina Shimshock, Lenoir-Rhyne

D – Jente Kuper, Carson-Newman

D – Leanne Bryant, Queens

D – Fabienne Loetscher, Lincoln Memorial

GK – Abby Helm, Anderson

 

Honorable Mention

F – Kirsten Armetta, Anderson

F – McKenna Delong, Wingate

MF – Abigael McGarel, Lenoir-Rhyne

MF – Bethany Morgan, Anderson

MF – Melanie Maddox, Anderson

MF – Gabby Fleischli, Wingate

D – Katie Beck, Catawba

D – Katie Webb, Catawba

D – Maggie Black, Anderson

D – Kenzie Ellenburg, Tusculum

GK – Shelby Thompson, Catawba

 

Offensive Player of the Year

Magda Mosengo, Carson-Newman

 

Defensive Player of the Year

Averi Williams, Carson-Newman

 

Freshman of the Year

Jessica Cravero, Lincoln Memorial

 

Coach of the Year

Sean Fraser, Lincoln Memorial

 

Fair Play Award

Lenoir-Rhyne & Newberry

 

Stat Champions

Goals per Match: Magda Mosengo, Carson-Newman & Abbie Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne | 1.07

Points per Match: Abbie Brown, Lenoir-Rhyne | 2.53

Assists per Match: Jacqueline Aldrete, Newberry | 0.67

Goals Against Average: Jackie Burns, Carson-Newman | .740

Save Percentage: Hannah Graham, Tusculum | .820

Shutouts: Ann-Marie O'Connell, Lincoln Memorial | 7

Team Points per Match: Carson-Newman | 8.06

Team Goals per Match: Carson-Newman | 2.87

Team Assists per Match: Carson-Newman | 2.33

Team Shutouts: Lincoln Memorial | 9

Team Goals Against Average: Lincoln Memorial | .800

Team Winning Percentage: Carson-Newman | .800