Roanoke Ace Heads List of Eight All-Region Honorees
GRAND LAKE, Colo. --- Roanoke midfielder Gina
Valles earned her second All-America award in as many seasons
through an annual vote by the Intercollegiate Women’s
Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA). The only ODAC
student-athlete on the list, Valles improved upon her 2009 second
team showing as she was named to the 2010 IWLCA All-America First
Team.
In earlier voting, the ODAC put eight student-athletes on the
IWLCA All-Region teams. Valles was joined by Washington and
Lee University standouts Katherine Farrar, Julia Gotwald and Emmy
Mathews on the Chesapeake Region first team. The second team
features Erin Clare Cassidy from Randolph-Macon College, Alida
Haslett from Roanoke, Lynchburg College’s Morgan Logue, and
Laura Norris from Virginia Wesleyan College.
Valles, a junior from South Windsor, Conn., adds this honor to the
ODAC Player of the Year award, a distinction she has secured each
of the past two seasons. She was also ODAC Rookie of the Year
in 2008. Valles finished atop the ODAC in all three scoring
categories: points (109), goals (67) and assists (42). She is
ranked fifth in the nation in points per game (6.81), 11th in
assists per game (2.63) and 17th in goals scored.
Along with fellow Maroons’ honoree Haslett, Valles helped
lead Roanoke (9-7 overall, 7-1 overall) to seven ODAC wins this
past season and the #2 seed in the ODAC tournament. RC fell
to Lynchburg in the semifinals, just short of fourth straight
appearance in the conference championship game. Roanoke
topped the ODAC in goals (13.62), assists (7.0) and points (20.62)
per game. Haslett excelled in the defensive third,
registering 20 caused turnovers to go with 21 ground balls and just
as many draw controls.
The Generals’ all-region trio had much to do with their
11th ODAC title and seventh in the last eight
years. Their postseason run continued into the NCAA Division
III Tournament, but a first round loss to Elizabethtown College
ended W&L’s season. Farrar, a junior goalkeeper,
played her way onto the All-ODAC First Team with an 8.61
goals-against-average. Senior defender Gotwald helped lighten
the pressure on her keeper as the duo combined to help Washington
and Lee (14-5, 8-0) post the league’s second rated defense
with a 8.00 team goals-against-average. Gotwald recorded 39
draw controls, 29 ground balls and 25 draw controls. Mathews
kept the Generals’ engine ticking with 31 goals and 10
assists while also racking up 34 draw controls, 31 ground balls and
20 caused turnovers.
Lynchburg’s Logue, Randolph-Macon’s Cassidy and
Virginia Wesleyan’s Norris all placed within the top-10 in
goals scored per game in the ODAC, while the latter two players
also featured in the total points and assists tables. Logue
posted 39 goals and 10 assists, but also accounted for 44 draw
controls, 29 caused turnovers and 29 ground balls. Cassidy
was the Yellow Jackets’ leading scoring with 33 goals and 14
assists. She also proved to be a ball-hawk with 35 draw
controls and 24 ground balls. Norris finished second in the
conference with 91 points, and was third in both goals scored (53)
and assists (38). She was also second on the Marlins with 41
ground balls and 39 draw controls.
To view the entire 2010 IWLCA All-America and All-Region Teams,
click HERE or visit the IWLCA at www.iwlca.org. For more
information on ODAC women’s lacrosse, visit any of the
participating schools’ websites, or go to the ODAC’s
home on the Internet atwww.odaconline.com.