FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University midfielder Megan Engeland and head coach Neil Cunningham helped lead the Generals to the ODAC women's soccer championship last weekend. Now the Generals' duo tops the list of annual All-ODAC Women's Soccer Awards as Engeland was tabbed the ODAC Player of the Year while Cunningham secured ODAC Coach of the Year honors. Shenandoah University forward Emily Yergin earned ODAC Rookie of the Year honors, and Lynchburg College defender Natalie Deacon received ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete laurels from the league's sports information directors.
The 2016 All-ODAC teams feature 19 repeat honorees with eight of those standouts earning All-ODAC First Team recognition. Six appear on the first team for a second straight season, including Bridgewater forward Keri Rager, LC defensive pairing Deacon and Emily Maxwell, Shenandoah centerback Michelle Krause and goalkeeper Erin Septer, and Virginia Wesleyan midfielder Zoe Traficante. Forward Caroline Peters and defender Hollis Tardy, both from Washington and Lee, moved up from the 2015 All-ODAC Second Team.
Engeland, a sophomore from Yardley, Pa., put together a strong campaign leading the Generals' midfield from an advanced position. She is currently eighth in the ODAC with 21 points on an assist and 10 goals scored, which sits sixth in the conference. Engeland proved most adept at providing game-winning goals as she notched the true decider in five different matches. That list includes the only goal in 1-0 conference regular season wins over Roanoke, Bridgewater, and Randolph-Macon in addition to securing the second goal in W&L's 2-1 win over Virginia Wesleyan in the ODAC Tournament championship game. Her game picked up in the Generals' build up to the trophy with five goals in three postseason games.
Cunningham is in his 16th season guiding the Generals' women's soccer program. This is his fourth ODAC top-coaching honor, pairing this year's award with those earned in 2002, 2006, and 2009. Washington and Lee currently owns a 15-3-1 overall record that includes an 8-1-1 showing in league play. Cunningham's squads have won 13 or more games in six straight seasons and 13 campaigns overall. The Generals enter the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament on a 12-game unbeaten run, having won five straight contests and 11 of the past 12 outings. Cunningham's current career record stands at 230-51-28 (.790).
Yergin, a freshman from Warrenton, Va., proved a standout goal scorer almost from the first whistle of the 2016 season for the Hornets. She leads the league in points (50) and goals scored (21), while sitting second in assists (8). Yergin scored two goals in her first four games of the season before going on a nine-game tear in which she racked up 37 points on 17 goals and three assists. In 19 total games played, she scored multiple goals in seven games with a pair of hat tricks in wins at Guilford and Randolph. She registered a season-high eight points in the win over the Quakers.
Deacon, a senior from West Chester, Pa., is a standout on and off the field for Lynchburg. In the classroom, Deacon maintains a 3.969 grade point average as an Exercise Physiology major. She is a two-time Academic All-American, multi-honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team, and has appeared on the Lynchburg College Dean's List each semester. She is a member of Omicron Delta Kappa (leadership) and Phi Eta Sigma (first year) honor societies, and was previously honored as the Lynchburg Female Academic Athlete of the Year in 2014. On the field, Deacon is one of the lynchpins of a defensive unit that allowed just three goals in all games this season. That total improves to only one goal surrendered in ODAC competition. She has gotten forward to register one assist this season.
Listed below are the 2016 All-ODAC Women's Soccer Awards. For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.
ODAC Player of the Year: Megan Engeland, So., Midfielder, Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Neil Cunningham, Washington and Lee
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Emily Yergin, Fr, Forward, Shenandoah
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Natalie Deacon, Sr., Defender, Lynchburg
ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM |
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ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM | ||||
Forwards |
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Forwards | ||||
Keri Rager | Jr. | Bridgewater |
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Isabella Weigel | Fr. | Bridgewater |
Caitlin Mertens | So. | Lynchburg |
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Linnea Kremer | Sr. | Roanoke |
Emily Yergin | Fr. | Shenandoah |
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Sierra Lynn-Johnson | Sr. | Roanoke |
Caroline Peters | So. | Washington and Lee |
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Marli Hayward | Fr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Midfielders |
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Midfielders | ||||
Marina Clark | Sr. | Lynchburg |
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Isabella Krider | So. | Bridgewater |
Emily Whitaker | Jr. | Roanoke |
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Kelley Smith | Sr. | Lynchburg |
Zoe Traficante | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
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Jennifer Nguyen | Sr. | Shenandoah |
Megan Engeland | So. | Washington and Lee |
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Katie Pettit | Sr. | Washington and Lee |
Defenders |
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Defenders | ||||
Natalie Deacon | Sr. | Lynchburg |
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Sydney Ryan | Fr. | Bridgewater |
Emily Maxwell | Jr. | Lynchburg |
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Laura Sullivan | Jr. | Roanoke |
Michelle Krause | Jr. | Shenandoah |
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Ann Marie Moffett | So. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Hollis Tardy | Sr. | Washington and Lee |
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Alexia Vassiliadis | Jr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
Goalkeeper |
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Goalkeeper | ||||
Erin Septer | Sr. | Shenandoah |
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Tess Frelick | Sr. | Lynchburg |
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ALL-ODAC THIRD TEAM |
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Forwards |
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Bailey Kratz | So. | Bridgewater |
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Laura Rittenhouse | Fr. | Eastern Mennonite |
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Juliana Evans-Anfom | So. | Guilford |
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Gabby Nelson | Fr. | Randolph-Macon |
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Sara Fuller | Fr. | Shenandoah |
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Midfielders |
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Katherine Wight | Jr. | Bridgewater |
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Samantha Bagherpour | Sr. | Lynchburg |
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Camille Bartley | Sr. | Lynchburg |
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Ryan McCurry | Fr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
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Defenders |
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Sarah Brennan | Jr. | Bridgewater |
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Caroline Hollandsworth | Sr. | Randolph-Macon |
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Brianna McAuliffe | Sr. | Roanoke |
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Alysha McCleaf | Sr. | Shenandoah |
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Goalkeeper |
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Taylor Chapman | Fr. | Virginia Wesleyan |
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